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Class _S.j^ 



^jS 



THE COMPLETE 
LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 



A. WALLIS MYERS 



WITH NINETY ILLUSTRATIONS, INCLUDING MANY 
SPECIAL ACTION-PHOTOGRAPHS 



PHILADELPHIA 

GEORGE W. JACOBS & CO. 

PUBLISHERS 









First Published in i<po8 



To V 



PREFACE 

WHEN this volume was contemplated, three 
objects were kept in view. The first 
was to demonstrate the evolution and 
organisation of a game which, in the short space of 
thirty years, has claimed more votaries and founded 
more clubs the world over than any other outdoor 
pastime in existence. The second was to treat 
methods of play, their developments and their results, 
their physiological and their psychological aspects, in 
such manner that both the beginner and the more 
experienced might derive some benefit. The third 
was to entertain, with the traditions and the ana of 
lawn tennis and with memories of some of its best- 
known exponents, that large army which wields the 
racket in many lands. 

In the more or less didactic chapters, those deal- 
ing with strokes in the making, I have received 
invaluable assistance from the Rev. A. E. Crawley, 
Headmaster of Derby School, who has made a pro- 
found study of their technique and whose practical 
experience as a player began in the days of Willie 
Renshaw. The exposition of the principles under- 
lying the American service, its varieties and its com- 
plexities, is only one of the contributions in this 
section for which my acknowledgments to Mr. Crawley 
are due. These I very gratefully tender. 



viii THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

I am indebted to Canon Hartley, Mr. E. G. 
Meers, Mr. H. S. Scrivener, Mr. W. H. Collins, Mr. 
Roper Barrett, Mr. Archdale Palmer and others, for 
various historical data and for personal recollections 
of events and contemporaries of which they have had 
intimate knowledge; to Mr. G. L. Orme for the 
several plans he prepared, and for his information 
relating to covered courts ; to Mr. Reginald Beale, of 
Messrs. James Carter & Co., for practical advice on 
the making and maintenance of grass courts ; to the 
officials of Foreign and Colonial organisations for 
facts relating to the game in their countries ; to Mr. 
Scrivener and Mr. Charles Voigt for their remarks on 
handicapping ; and to the Badminton volume and 
Mr. Wilfred Baddeley's all too brief manual. 

Finally, I have to acknowledge the kindness, 
exercised I am afraid at some personal inconvenience, 
of Mr. Norman Brookes and M. Max Decugis, two 
of the leading players whose strokes Mr. George 
Beldam's inimitable camera, working at an exposure 
of T^Trth fraction of a second, has so graphically 
delineated. A large number of the seventy action- 
photographs here reproduced were specially taken 
for this volume, and I do not doubt they will enhance 
what success it may achieve. 

A. W. M. 

ASHTEAD 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 

PAGE 

Enter Lawn Tennis ...... i 

A mysterious birth and a struggling infancy — Major Wingfield's con- 
ception of a court — The All England Club as foster-parent — A 
game of patience, or pitch and toss — Laws made at Wimbledon 
—The All England Club as autocrat— The story of the L.T.A.'s 
advent — Concerning the first championship and its winner — A stroke 
that evoked an uproar — "Passing by the ladies" — Some recollec- 
tions of Canon Hartley — The evolution of the racket — A stitch that 
took some time to find 



CHAPTER II 
Annals of Wimbledon ...... 

The glorious reign of Renshaw — The brothers make their debut and 
are beaten — ^William Renshaw wins a love set against Lawford in 
eleven minutes — Spectacles that "formed the high- water mark of 
lawn tennis " — Inauguration of the doubles and the ladies' champion- 
ships — A young girl who created a record and a sensation — The 
relative merits of the Renshaws — Pirn v. Wilfred Baddeley — Profits 
diminish — Mr. E. G. Meers gives his impressions of the early 
nineties and incidentally relates some stories — Championships lost 
by one stroke — The ten years' reign of the Dohertys — Frank Riseley 
plays like one inspired — Norman Brookes comes and conquers — 
Miss May Sutton fulfils a prophecy — Looking forward 



CHAPTER III 

Lawn Tennis in other Lands . . . . .38 

The universal game — America's national pastime — President Roosevelt 
as a player — The "Tennis Cabinet" at Washington — Schools as 
recruiting agencies — Popularity in the Colonies — Conditions and 
progress in Australia — New Zealand's 7000 club members — Nursing 
budding talent — Continental expansion — 800 players in Hamburg — 



X THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

PAGE 

Some famous German tournaments — Austria a land of rich promise 
—A. F. Wilding relates some experiences — Spain and Portugal — 
The keenness of the late King Carlos — Sweden's proud boast — A 
recollection of Stockholm and of King Gustav — Switzerland's appeal 

CHAPTER IV 

The Hold of the Racket . . . . -54 

The use and abuse of a standard grip — Norman Brookes' distinctive 
hold — Principles of forehand grip explained — How the Dohertys 
hold their rackets — Principles of the backhand grip — The vexed 
question of the raised thumb — What American authorities say — The 
grips of Miss Sutton and Mrs. Lambert Chambers : How they 
differ — Influence of the forefinger in special strokes — Max Decugis 
and the results of his finger manipulation — Danger of a fixed 
backhand grip — Proper time to tighten the muscles — Large handles 
and fancy handles 

CHAPTER V 
Driving : Forehand and Backhand . . . .64 

Learning the strokes — First essentials — Evolution of the forehand 
drive — The forehand drive considered in detail — The parts played 
by the wrist and the elbow — How the racket should be swung back 
— Hitting the ball — The follow-through — Fundamental principles 
of the stroke — The essential factor in timing — How to acquire 
certainty and mechanical accuracy — Application of weight and its 
effects — The value of the big stride — Why a chop cannot be a drive 
— Top or over-spin — The so-called lifting-drive, and how it may 
be acquired — Half-court shots — The backhand drive — Some advice 
to beginners — Final instructions 

CHAPTER VI 
The Volley and Its Varieties .... 86 

An orderly evolution — Volleys at the height of the waist or shoulder — 
Variety of direction essential — How Brookes "pigeon-holes" the 
ball — Principles and practice of the plain straight volley — The 
oblique or tangential impact — Extremes of elevation — The low volley 
— Placing the ball at will overhead — The hard smash — The backhand 
smash — Further points as to method — Cross-court volleys — Stop 
and drop volleys — The importance of deep volleying — General 
principles of defence against the volleyer — The half-volley 



CONTENTS xi 



CHAPTER VII 

PAGE 

The Standard Service . . . . . .98 

The value of variety — Position of the feet — Need of a light and easy 
pose — Throwing up the ball — Some important points emphasized — 
The swing back — The contact of the racket with the ball — After the 
impact — Where the racket should finish — Body-weight and its 
distribution — Imparting "devil" to the stroke — Good length 
essential — The relation of the first service to the second — Placing 
the service in the corners — Variation by natural spin 



CHAPTER VIII 
Complex Services . . . . . . .104 

The ordinary twist service — How the reverse twist may be acquired — 
American services — Their actions and movements explained — 
Principles of the American swerve and break — Some truths expounded 
— The rotation of the ball and what it means — Why the American 
swerve sometimes fails to break in the proper way — A practical method 
of acquiring the ordinary and the reverse American services — 
General tactics for the server — Running-in on the service 

CHAPTER IX 
Match Play in General. . . . . .118 

Preliminaries — Winning the toss — Points which ought to be con- 
sidered — Where the striker-out should stand — The return of the 
service — Place rather than pace — Dealing with the man who runs in 
— The use and abuse of the lob — The favourite area of the hard 
driver — Short and soft shots — Inadequate care over easy returns — 
The nee^ for a permanent base — Forbidden ground for the volleyer 
— Handicap singles — Advice to the giver and receiver of odds — Pluck 
indispensable — Turning the tables at the eleventh hour — "Win 
when you can " — Recoveries that end in defeat — Will-power on court 
— " Don't abuse the ball-boy ! " 

CHAPTER X 
Doubles and Mixed Doubles . . . . .132 

Spectacular virtues of a good double — Why the general standard of 
play is not higher — The physical and mental affinity of twins — 
Systematized formation essential — The primary instinct of both 
players — Where the server's partner should stand — The server's 



xii THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

PAGE 

advance — A sinister shot — Clearing the feet — Employing the half- 
volley — The return of the service — The lob as a weapon of defence 
and attack — The return of the lob — Studying the trigonometry of the 
court — An alternative to the hard smash — Evolution of mixed 
doubles not complete — The advance of the lady volleyer — A field for 
strategy and "bluff" — Some hints to the man at the net — An 
important service game to win 

CHAPTER XI 
Diet and Training . . . . . .146 

Good condition more important than consummate skill — Why the 
veteran frequently beats the man under thirty — The lungs as the 
body's engine — The blood's vital element found in the most simple 
diet — Necessary diet — Influence of climate on condition — Fencing a 
good adjunct — Ordinary fitness and sporting fitness : ought there to 
be a difference ? — Bad effects of the heavy lunch — Drinking between 
matches — The universal popularity of tea — What should a player 
drink during a match — The example of champions — Sleep a 
sovereign necessity — Ventilation — Regular play 

CHAPTER XII 

Points in Tournament Control . . . .160 

Why open meetings make their appeal — Selecting a suitable date — 
Committees and their duties — What is expected of a referee — Some 
of his trials and tribulations — Desirability of an order of play — The 
one-man-in-control method — How it works at Homburg — The 
duties of the competitor — The equipment of an open tournament — 
How the courts should be marked out and fitted up — The question 
of balls — Are there too many prize meetings? — Players and their 
prizes — The practice of "seeding the draw"; Should it be 
sanctioned or vetoed ? — The chances of competitors relatively con- 
sidered — Umpires and linesmen 

CHAPTER XIII 
Handicapping . . . . . . .188 

The old bisque system and its defects — Limitations of the "quarter" 
system — The "sixths" method — Difficulties under which official 
handicappers labour — Mr. H. S. Scrivener explains his modus 
operandi and offers some suggestions — Personal experience of 
players' form desirable — A comparison between English and 



CONTENTS xiii 

PAGE 

foreign handicapping — The methods of a leading Continental 
handicapper — Is the present system unsound in principle? — The 
advisability of club handicapping — Some voluntary systems not 
recognized at tournaments 

CHAPTER XIV 
The Construction of Courts . . . . .204 

The good grass court the exception — Essential requirements — What 
makes the best background? — Relative^ cost of turfing and seed- 
sowing — How to carry out effective draining — Turfing a new lawn 
— How to sow seed — Some mowing and rolling tips — Renovating 
a court during the off season — The importance of a turf nursery — 
Asphalt surfaces compared — A good floor for a covered court — 
Background for a covered court — Accommodating spectators — Some 
points from Stockholm — What it costs to construct a covered 
court 

CHAPTER XV 
Home Tournaments I have Visited . . . .219 

Effects of travelling — Respect to local feelings — Minor trials and 
tribulations — Round the Metropolitan meetings — The danger of too 
many tournaments — Memories of the Northern — A conception of 
rus in urbe — The "well idea" at Edgbaston — The boon of a clear 
Sunday — Some devices at Newcastle — The pseudonym considered 
— Recollections of Moffat and the Scottish championships — 
Fitzwilliam week — The pertinacity of the Yorkshireman — The 
Welsh championships — A full-dress rehearsal of Wimbledon — A 
holiday tour on the East Coast — Seaside meetings on the South 
Coast — Some impressions of Eastbourne 

CHAPTER XVI 
The Story of the Davis Cup, 1900-1903 . . . 239 

The symbol of international supremacy — Why the first British team 
failed — Roper Barrett gives his impressions and offers some 
criticisms — Englishmen taken on the flank — Ward and Davis create 
a sensation at Wimbledon — The Dohertys and Dr. Pirn go to 
America — Comments on Dr. Pirn's selection for the internationals 
— The States team triumphs at Bay Ridge — 10,000 spectators watch 
a single combat — Dohertys demonstrate their invincible skill in the 
doubles — The screw service and its effects — " R. F." reaches the 
challenge round at Newport — England challenges again and the 



xiv THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 



Dohertys "sweep the board" — Another unexpected situation for 
Mr. Collins — How the issue hung in the balance at Longwood— 
The cup finally lifted — An American appreciation of " H. L." 



CHAPTER XVII 
The Story of the Davis Cup, 1904-1907 . . .262 

Four years' residence of the trophy in England — The coming of the 
Continental expert — Belgium beaten but not disgraced at Wimbledon 
— Norman Brookes mentioned as a "dark horse" — America 
mobilizes an invading team — Beals Wright defeats Brookes at 
Queen's — The Australian uses an abnormally loose racket — America 
fiercely attacks the holders at Wimbledon, but is repulsed by Smith 
and the Dohertys — American training methods — Holcombe Ward's 
electrical display against H. L. Doherty — A wholesome dread of 
S. H. Smith-— A fatal blunder at the net— The United States 
advance again — Grievous accident to Beals Wright — American 
ladies braced in spirit at Newport — The Wildings are faced with 
a problem — England again wins the challenge round — Dohertys 
have a narrow escape in the doubles — A lean year at hand — H. L. 
Doherty's retirement and its consequences — "Touch-and-go" 
character of the 1907 matches — Karl Behr's brilliant but erratic 
attack — Brookes more vulnerable in doubles — The Australian's 
magnificent record in the singles — The cup goes to the Colonies 



CHAPTER XVIII 
Round the Riviera Courts ..... 286 

Differences in conditions — And in the scale of living expenses — The 
game par excellence on the Continent — The attractions of the Beau 
Site courts — Royalty at Cannes — Some social attributes and harm- 
less gaieties — Concerning the Nice Club — Tournament administra- 
tion at home and abroad — Genial personalities at Nice — Memorable 
matches in the South of France — The Casino element at Monte 
Carlo — Playing before celebrities — Tom Burke — Mentone a self- 
owned club — One effect of railway travelling on the Riviera 



APPENDIX 




Laws of the game ..... 
How to mark out a court .... 


. 307 
. 314 


Inception of the Davis Cup .... 
Original conditions of the Davis Cup 
Regulations for the International Championship 


. 316 
. 319 
. 320 


Index ...... 


. 325 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



Champions from Over the Seas .... Frontispiece 
Fro7n a Photograph by Messrs, J. Russell df Sons, Wimbledon 

CHAP. 

I. (Enter Lawn Tennis) 

Diagram of Major Wingfield's Original Court . Onp.i 

The Evolution of the Racket . . . Facing p. id 

II. (Annals of Wimbledon) 

Wimbledon in 1883 : William Renshaw v. Ernest 
Renshaw in the Challenge Round of the 
Championship . . . . . „ 20 

From a PJiotograph by Messrs. J. Russell 6^ Sons, 
Wimbledon 

Wimbledon in 1905 : Norman E. Brookes v. H. L. 
Doherty in the Challenge Round of the 
Championship . . . . • » 34 

From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 

The First Successful Invasion : Miss Sutton v. 

Miss Douglass, Wimbledon, 1905 . - ?> 3^ 

From a Photograph by Messrs, Bowden Bros, 

III. (Lawn Tennis in Other Lands) 

The Lady Champion's Home Court at Pasadena, 
California — Miss Sutton and her Sisters in a 
Double ....... 40 

Horace Rice (Champion of New South Wales, 

1907), serving on the Sydney Ground . . „ 41 

Homburg's International Tournament, 1907 : 
Germany (O. Froitzheim and Baron K. von 
Lersner) winning the Doubles Championship 
of Europe . . . . . „ 46 / 



xvi THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 



The Courts and Clubhouse at Marienbad 



Facing p. 48 



Two of Europe's Leading Patrons : Prince and 

Princess Batthyany Strattmann . . „ 49 

The late King Carlos of Portugal in a Mixed 

Double at Cascaes, 1901 . . . „ 50 

The late King Carlos Distributing Prizes at 

Cascaes, 1903 . . . . . „ 51 

King Gustav of Sweden and other Competitors at 

the Saro Tournament, 1907 . . . „ 52 

From a Photograph by Mr. Harry Lindbohm, Goteborg 

The Courts at Les Avants, Switzerland . . „ 53 



IV. (Hold of the Racket) 

R. F. Doherty (England) : Forehand grip 
R. F. Doherty (England) : Backhand grip 
Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : Forehand grip 
Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : Backhand grip 
M. Ddcugis (France) : Forehand grip 
M. Decugis (France) : Backhand grip 

From Photographs by Mr. G. W. Beldam 

Miss Sutton (America) : Forehand grip 

From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 



56 
56 
56 
56 
56 
56 

60 



V. (Driving) 

PLATE 

I. ^Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : Beginning of 

Forehand Drive ..... 

II. W. A. Larned (America) : Finish of Forehand 

Drive ...... 

From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 

III. Mrs. Lambert Chambers (England) : Beginning 
of Forehand Drive .... 

Frovi a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 

IV. S. H. Smith (England): Finish of Forehand 
Drive ...... 

From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 

V. *H. L. Doherty (England) : Finish of Forehand 
Drive ...... 

VI. *A. W. Gore (England) : Middle of Forehand 
Drive ...... 



66 
66 

69 

70 

70 
71 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



xvi; 



VII. *G. W. Hillyard (England) : Finish of Forehand 

Drive ...... Fac\ 

VIII. *M. Decugis (France) : Finish of Backhand 
Drive ...... 

IX. *R. F. Doherty (England) : Beginning of Back- 
hand Drive ..... 

X. "^M. Decugis (France) : Finish of Forehand Drive 

XL *A. F. Wilding (New Zealand) : Middle of 

Lifting Drive ..... 

xil«. "^P. de Borman (Belgium) : Beginning of Lifting 
Drive ...... 

Xll(5. *P. de Borman (Belgium) : Finish of Lifting 
Drive ...... 

XIII. "^G. A. Caridia (England) : Middle of Backhand 

Drive .... 

XIV. *M. J. G. Ritchie (England) : Middle of Backhand 

Drive ...... 

XV. Miss Sutton (America) : Beginning of Forehand 
Drive ...... 

From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 

XVI. *R. F. Doherty (England) : Finish of Backhand 
Drive ...... 

XVII. *H. L. Doherty (England) : Beginning of Low 
Backhand Drive .... 

XVIII. *M. Decugis (France) : Beginning of Backhand 
Drive ...... 

XIX. *M. Decugis (France) : Finish of Forehand Drive 
XX. *Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : Finish of Back- 
hand Drive ..... 



ngp. 71 
74 

74 
77 

79 

80 

80 

81 

81 

82 

H 

84 
85 

85 



CHAP. 

VI. (Volleying) 

PLATE 

I. *Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : Beginning of 

Backhand Volley .... 

II. Beals Wright (America) : Beginning of Forehand 

Smash ...... 

From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 

III. ^Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : Low Forehand 

Volley 

IV. *H. L. Doherty (England) : Low Backhand 

" Draw " Volley 

V. ^Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : Running in to 

Kill 

b 



87 

87 

88 
88 
90 / 



xviii THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

PLATE 

VI. *H. L. Doherty (England) : Running Smash . Facing p. 90 " 

VII. *M. Decugis (France) : Beginning of Backhand 

Smash ....... 91 

VIII. *M. Decugis (France) : Low Forehand Drop- 
Volley ....... 92 

IX. *Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : Low Backhand 

Hook- Volley . . . . . „ 92 ' 

X. ^Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : Low Backhand 

Stop-Volley . . . , . „ 94 

XI. *W. V. Eaves (England) : Low Backhand " Drag " 

Volley ....... 94 



CHAP. 

VI L (Standard Service) 

PLATE 

I. *R. F. Doherty (England) : Beginning of Service 

II. "^Mrs. Lambert Chambers (England) : Beginning 

of Service .... 

III. "^F. L. Riseley (England) : Beginning of Service 

IV. *R. F. Doherty (England) : Middle of Service 
V. *M. Decugis (France) : Middle of Service 

VI. "^M. Decugis (France) : Finish of Service . 
VII. *R. F. Doherty (England) : Finish of Service 
VIII. H. L. Doherty (England) : Finish of Service 
From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros, 



5) 


98 


•>•) 


99 


3> 


100 


J) 


100 


» 


lOI 


}) 


lOI 


3) 


102 



VIII. (Complex Services) 



la and b. "^Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : Reverse 
Twist Service ..... 

li<3t, b^ and c. Miss Sutton (American) : Reverse Twist 
Service ...... 

From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 

lll«, b^ and c. "^P. de Borman (Belgium) : Reverse 

Twist Service ..... 

iva, ^, c^ d, e, f. ^Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : 

American Service .... 

V. Holcombe Ward (America) : American Service . 

From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 

vi<a:, b, and c. "^Norman E. Brookes (Australia) : Re- 
verse American Service . . . . 
VII. H. A. Parker (New Zealand) : Reverse American 
Service ...... 



„ 104 
„ 106 

108 



no 
115 



116 



117 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xix 

CHAF. 

X. (Doubles). 

The Doubles Championship at Wimbledon, 1906 : 
The Dohertys v. S. H. Smith and F. L. 
Riseley ..... .Facing p. 134 

From a Photograph by Messrs, Bowden Bros. 

Mixed Doubles at Wimbledon : Miss Sutton as a 

Volleyer . . . . . . „ 134 

From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 

XII. (Tournament Control) 

The Referee marking up Results at Les Avants, 

Switzerland . . . . . „ 167 

Devonshire Park, Eastbourne, fitted out with 

Twenty Courts . . . . . „ 172 

Plan of the All England Ground, Wimbledon, 

arranged for the Championships . . On p. 176 

The Scoring Board at the Championships, Wim- 
bledon ...... Facing p. 180 

From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 

XIV. (Construction of Courts) 

Plan of the New Court at Queen's Club . . On p. 2i\ 

Cross Section of the New Court at Queen's Club . ,,216 

XV. (Home Tournaments) 

London Championship at Queen's Club, 1905 : 

Beals Wright z/. N. E. Brookes . . Facing p. 224 

From a Photograph by Messrs, Bowden Bros. 

Finals of th6 Northern Championships at Man- 
chester, 1907 ...... 232 

From a Photograph by Half-tones Ltd. 

XVI. (Davis Cup) 

The Dohertys in America, 1902 (Group taken at 

Nahant, near Boston, soon after arrival) . „ 248 

Ten Thousand Spectators watching the Dohertys 
play Davis and Ward in the International 
Doubles at the Crescent Athletic Club, New 
York, August 8, 1902 . . . . „ 254 

From a Photograph by Mr. Burr Mchitosh 



XX THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

CHAP. < 

XVII. (Davis Cup) 

Davis Cup Challenge Round, Wimbledon, 1904 : 

British and Belgium Teams . . . Facing p^ph^ 

The American Davis Cup Team, 1905 . . „ 270 

From a Photograph by Messrs. J. Russell (&* Sons, 
Wimbledon 

A Memorable International Double at Wim- 
bledon, 1907: A. W. Gore and H. Roper 
Barrett (England) v. N. E. Brookes and A. F. 
Wilding (Australia) . . . . „ 284 

From a Photograph by Messrs. Bowden Bros. 

XVIII. (Round the Riviera) 

The Beau Site Courts at Cannes . . . „ 290 

The Lounge at the Nice Club-house . . „ 296 

Final of the Mixed Doubles Championship at 

Monte Carlo, 1907 . . . . „ 304 



The Illustrations marked with an asterisk are from action-photographs 
by Mr. G. W. Beldam. 



THE COMPLETE LAWN 
TENNIS PLAYER 

CHAPTER I 

ENTER LAWN TENNIS! 

A mysterious birth and a struggling infancy —Major Wingfield's con- 
ception of a court — The All England Club as foster-parent — A game of 
patience, or pitch and toss — Laws made at Wimbledon — The All 
England Club as autocrat — The story of the L.T.A.'s advent — Con- 
cerning the first championship and its winner — A stroke that evoked 
an uproar — "Passing by the Ladies" — Some recollections of Canon 
Hartley — The evolution of the racket — A stitch that took some time to 
find 

THE career of lawn tennis is somewhat akin to 
that of a nameless foundling who, buffeted 
and burked in early life, achieves by dint 
of inherent virtues and a good constitution, fortune 
and world-wide celebrity. What its lineage was, who 
were its progenitors, how it survived the manifold 
struggles of its youth, are mysteries which no man 
has convincingly solved. That the game had a less 
strenuous existence in another age and in another 
form there Is some evidence to suppose. Somerset- 
shire men, in a square green court, we are told,^ before 
Queen Elizabeth's wliidows, ''did hang up lines, 
squaring out the form of a tennis court, and making 

^ Badminton volume. 



THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 



a cross line in the middle " ; and in this square with 
handball, bord and cord played *'to the great liking 
of Her Highness." As far back as the end of the 
eighteenth century ** field tennis" is mentioned as a 
dangerous rival even to cricket, and when the late 
Queen came to the throne a pastime described as 

"long tennis" was in 



M^ 



ttt 



o 




21feet 



30f€£t 

DiqQv^m of Major Wmjffeld^ 
Orjgmal Court- 



existence. Nor is it 
less certain that a game, 
called la longue paume, 
the object of which was 
to strike a cork ball 
over a bank of mud, 
had some vogue in 
France several cen- 
turies ago, or that in 
Russia, of more recent 
date, a game similar in 
principle to modern 
lawn tennis was prac- 
tised. 

By many people, as 
Mr. C. G. Heathcote 
observes, lawn tennis 
was assumed to have 
sprung ''like Minerva 



from the head of Jove, fully grown and equipped 
with the newest pattern of racket and the last 
championship ball in or about the year 1874." 
This is probably only a convenient modern legend, 
but there is some excuse for its circulation in that at 
a Christmas party in 1873 one, Major Wingfield, 
introduced into a country house at Nantclwyd, a game 



ENTER LAWN TENNIS 3 

called Sphairistike, which, though probably a lineal 
descendant of a former pastime, was sufficiently novel 
to excite interest and attract votaries. The Major s 
conception of a playing area, first marked out with 
tape and pegged with hair-pins, does not bear much 
resemblance to the present court. It was shaped like 
an hour-glass ; that is to say, the width of the court 
at its base was more than the width at the net, which 
was no less than 5 feet high at the posts and only 
4 inches lower in the centre. On one side the 
court had a line at an undefined distance from the 
net, which was bisected by a centre line running 
parallel to the side lines. On the other side of the 
net, however, there were no dividing lines, but only 
a little diamond-shaped compartment in which the 
server stood to project the light india-rubber ball 
over the net. Racket scoring was adopted. The 
first disciples of this gentle pastime appear to have 
much appreciated the fun, some indeed even con- 
templating its pursuit on ice ! ^ But Sphairistike, 
with its ungainly name (shortened by the scornful 
to ** Sticky ") and its hour-glass court did not long 
survive in its original form. It retired in favour of 
a more practical pastime founded on its principles. 
Once wrought into acceptable shape this pastime 
was to make itself known in almost every civilised 
land and ultimately to become the only really cos- 
mopolitan game in existence. 

The history of lawn tennis may be said to have 

been written on the courts of the All England Club 

at Wimbledon. To this famous battle-ground, 

•hallowed by thirty-one championship meetings, have 

^ Badminton volume. 



4 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

come the skilled warriors of all nations. Round its 
centre court, the classic arena in which every 
champion from William Renshaw to Norman 
Brookes has won the blue riband of the lawn, 
thousands have watched and cheered the prowess 
of international heroes. An enduring monument 
to the progress and evolution of lawn tennis, the 
club has survived all changes in the laws as well as 
in the methods of the game. It has stood the test 
of adversity ; in prosperity it has been prudent. Its 
fabric has proved invulnerable alike to the open 
assault of the builder and to the more insidious 
sapping of the detractor. Its exchequer has with- 
stood all the vicissitudes of fortune through which 
the championships have passed and is now replenished 
by the profits of recent gala years. Attracting Society 
to its tournaments, it has entertained Royalty and 
received the personal patronage of the Prince of 
Wales, its first president and the donor of one of 
its chief trophies. The Mecca of all lovers and 
students of lawn tennis, Wimbledon has been both 
the centre of its universe and its most potent 
educational force. 

I have said that the history of lawn tennis has 
been inscribed on the courts of Wimbledon. If the 
members of this club did not actually create the 
game they at least nourished and protected it in 
early infancy, guided its footsteps in youth and 
brought it to a maturity which has developed and 
actualised its possibilities in strokes and in tactics as 
well as in general organisation. And though twenty 
years ago the legislative government of lawn tennis 
passed into the hands of a National Association — 



ENTER LAWN TENNIS 5 

not without some heartburning on the part of its 
former guardians: — I do not think anyone will deny 
that, practically speaking, the All England Club was 
its foster-parent. 

Yet lawn tennis was not the first child of the 
All England Club. It had another, upon which the 
younger, to advance its own ends, may be said to 
have committed fratricide. The name of this first 
child was Croquet, and as the All England Croquet 
Club the leading institution connected with lawn 
tennis first drew breath. That was in the winter 
of 1869, when the promoters^ secured the present 
site off the Worple Road, Wimbledon, on a lease of 
seven years and at a rental of ^120 per annum, 
plus a proportion of club subscriptions and gate 
money. It may be mentioned, in view of the world- 
wide celebrity this ground was subsequently to 
achieve, that several other districts were proposed 
and considered, including the Crystal Palace, the 
Toxophillte Society's ground, a site adjoining the 
old Prince's Racquet Club and the ** fields between 
Holland House, Kensington, and Addison Road."^ 
The first croquet meeting held on the ground in 1871 
does not seem to have caused a sensation, two 
commissionaires and one policeman being deemed 
adequate to control the crowd and the players. A 
year later efforts were made to purchase the ground, 

^ The All England Croquet Club was actually conceived in the 
summer of 1868, the following being prominently associated with its 
formation :— Capt. R. F. Dalton, J. Hindo Hale, Rev. A. Law, Mr. 
S. H. C. Maddock, Mr. J. H. Walsh, Mr. W. J. V^hitmore, Mr. E. 
B. Michell, Rev. D. I. Heath, Rev. H. W. Miller Henry and Mr. 
Daniel Jones. 

* Minutes of the club. 



6 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

the value being estimated at ^2500; but, beyond an 
offer by a clergyman to advance ^2000 on mortgage, 
nothing tangible resulted. But in 1873 the lease 
of the premises was revised. There had been a 
deficit, the rental was reduced to ^100 and the sub- 
scriptions raised. We may accordingly assume the 
club was then disposed to seek new sources of 
revenue. Lawn tennis in Its primitive form was 
casting a spell over society — every owner of a private 
lawn, uprooting his croquet hoops, was sampling its 
attractions — and the committee succumbed to its 
charms. In 1875 ^ resolution of the club decreed 
that ** a ground should be set apart for lawn tennis and 
badminton during the season " and a sub-committee 
of three ^ was appointed to plant the tender sapling, 
the sum of £2^ being sanctioned for initial outlay. 
The sub-committee was likewise requested to draw 
up the necessary regulations. Here their troubles 
began. At that time the game was floundering in 
the turmoiled waters which Major Wingfield's 
invention had set in motion. The rules were not 
more satisfactory than the shape of the court. The 
length of the net was 6 feet shorter than the length 
of the base line, the service line 26 feet from 
the net. The height of the net was 4 feet at the 
centre and 5 feet at the posts. Racquet scoring 
was still in use ; there were no such things as sets ; 
** deuce" and ''advantage" with one innings only 
did not arrive until "fourteen all." A code of laws, 
just issued by the Tennis Committee of the M.C.C. 
but apparently flouted in other parts of the country, 
ordained, inter alia, that '' balls bound with white 

^ Messrs. J. D. Heath, C. F. Dalton and Henry Jones. 



ENTER LAWN TENNIS 7 

cloth may be used in fine weather," and in regard to 
handicaps ''that a cord may be stretched between 
the posts at a height of 7 feet, or any other 
height agreed upon, and the giver of odds shall play 
every ball over the cord or lose a stroke." A game 
of patience or pitch and toss, suggests Mr. W. M. 
Brownlee, would aptly describe it. 

But a more enlightened age was dawning. Early 
in 1877, ^t a special general meeting, the title of the 
club was altered to the All England Croquet and 
Lawn Tennis Club and a few weeks later came the 
announcement of the first championship meeting. 
Mr. J. H. Walsh had induced the proprietors of the 
Field to offer for competition a silver challenge 
cup valued at twenty-five guineas. There was no 
lack of enthusiasm among intending competitors. 
But there was lacking a constructive code of rules 
which should evolve order out of chaos and conformity 
out of confusion. Three experts, members of the 
club, were accordingly delegated to put their heads 
together. They were Mr. C. G. Heathcote, a 
brother of the famous amateur tennis champion ; 
Mr. Julian Marshall, a well known tennis player -^ and 
authority ; and the late Mr. Henry Jones, compiler 
of many codes and well-known under the pseudonym 
of "Cavendish." These gentlemen, the real pioneers 
of the present game, drew up a provisional set 
of rules, subsequently confirmed and adopted by 
the M.C.C.^ They provided for the court to be 
rectangular, its length to be 78 feet and its 
breadth 27 feet; for the service line to be 

^ Then secretary of the club. 

^ Seven thousand copies of the revised rules had a rapid sale. 



8 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

26 feet from the net ; for the net to be lowered 
to 3 feet 3 inches at the centre and 5 feet at 
the posts ; for the posts to be placed a yard 
outside the side lines, and for tennis scoring to be 
adopted. This code differed so widely from any 
existing code as to constitute practically a new 
game. And we may note in passing that subsequent 
alterations which experience deemed necessary 
invariably originated with the All England Club. 
During the first few years these revisions were 
submitted to the M.C.C. ; ultimately that august 
body, recognising that the code and its emendations 
belonged in truth to the A.E.C. alone, waived all 
claims to be consulted.^ Thereafter the club marched 
boldly forward. It issued periodically fresh editions 
of the laws — with such alterations as were necessary, 
the last fundamental change being the lowering of 
the net at the posts to 3 feet 6 inches in 1883 — down 
to the year 1889, when it voluntarily transferred its 
rights in this respect and in that of the regulations 
of prize meetings to the newly-founded Lawn 
Tennis Association. 

A word may be introduced here about the 
formation of the governing body to which is now 
directly affiliated forty associations, fifty-five tourna- 
ment committees and two hundred and seventy- 
six clubs. Six years before its official inception the 
movement in favour of a National Association had 
begun and more than one conference was held ; 
but the All England Club, jealous of its traditions 
and of its legislative powers, was not then disposed 
to smile on the efforts of the promoters. It was not 

^ Mr. Daniel Jones. 



ENTER LAWN TENNIS 9 

until Mr. H. S. Scrivener and Mr. G. W. Hillyard 
— strangely enough the present referee and secretary 
of the championships at Wimbledon — issued a 
circular letter convening a representative gathering 
of lawn tennis supporters from all parts of the 
country that the L.T.A. was formally inaugurated. 
Recalling this event Mr. Scrivener writes: — *' In 
those days the All England Club was like the 
M.C.C. and rather a contemptuous autocrat. In 
the opinion of many it was Wimbledon first and 
the rest nowhere. This is why the more distant 
centres in the North and Midlands were on the 
reform side. Moreover, the agitation was fostered 
by the fact that the club had a secretary ^ who was 
rather a dictatorial sort of person. The A.E.L.T.C. 
ruled lawn tennis and he ruled the club. The 
thing that set me going was a reply to some 
perfectly reasonable application in connexion with 
the 'Varsity match which, I fancy, clashed with the 
Wimbledon meeting, or something of that kind. 
The secretary wrote back a curt non possumus of 
about four lines, signed with a hieroglyph which 
was barely decipherable as **J. M. sec," as if all 
the world was expected to know what this meant. 
Hillyard's connexion with the movement was mainly 
due to the fact that in those days there was much 
press criticism of women playing in public (times 
have changed !). Mrs. Hillyard was of course in- 
cluded, and there were a good many who wished 
to see the Ladies' Championship moved away to 

^ The late Mr. Julian Marshall who, affirms Mr. Wilberforce, had 
for long managed the affairs of the All England Club with much 
success. 



10 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

some place where there would be less publicity. 
He was also, like myself, generally in sympathy with 
the movement. Our circular brought a number 
of favourable replies and we accordingly decided 
to convene a meeting to discuss the question whether 
an association should be formed or not. We sent 
out a lot of invitations, but by some unfortunate 
accident, for while Hillyard blamed a housemaid 
and the housemaid doubtless blamed the cat, a 
good many clubs whom we meant to invite, in- 
cluding the A.E.L.T.C, did not get invitations. 
I was only an undergraduate of twenty-two then 
and did not realise the value of checking lists, not 
only of what / did but of others' work as well. 
However, there was no secret about it ; we gave 
notice of the meeting in Pastime^ and invited 
everybody interested to attend. Henry Jones made 
great capital of our omission and generally tried to 
snuff us out, but fully two-thirds of those present 
(I should say) were determined to have an associa- 
tion and also to form it there and then, and in the 
end they got their way." It has only to be added 
that once the Lawn Tennis Association became fait 
accompli the All England Club frankly gave it 
support and allegiance, and, as we have seen, 
abdicated its functions as the legislative authority. 
The relations between the two bodies have on the 
whole remained cordial and co - operative, though 
occasionally (and especially in the last few years) 
the more radical members of the council, un- 
impressed by the traditions of the premier club, 
have demanded and in some instances secured, 

^ The weekly lawn tennis journal. 



ENTER LAWN TENNIS ii 

constitutional changes. But dissensions great or 
small in the council chamber have had little or no 
effect in stemming the onward progress of the 
game. 

As to the first championship meeting held in 
1877, we know that spectators were present 
because the minutes record that the chairs hired 
for the occasion were *' taken in exchange for the 
large roller and fine old mowing-machine plus four 
guineas." But we also know that for three days 
nobody came near the ground, on two days because 
of the Eton and Harrow match over which the 
meeting was adjourned and on one because of rain. 
There were twenty-two competitors of whom many 
were real tennis players, and the best — Mr. Spencer 
Gore who w^on the title comfortably — an old 
Harrovian and racquet player. Mr. Heathcote 
says that Mr. Gore's volley, which was his own 
invention, was no mere pat over the net. The 
first to realise the necessity of forcing his opponent 
to the back line, he would approach the net and 
by a dexterous turn of the wrist return the ball at 
considerable speed. Mr. Gore himself, referring to 
the meeting, points out^ that the real tennis player 
had every advantage: "the net was high at the 
sides, which encouraged the player to play from 
corner to corner as at tennis, rather than straight 
down the side lines ; and the service line was so 
far from the net as to give the heavily cut tennis 
service a great advantage." Very different was the 
first meeting in 1877 to that thirty years later. 
But one court was used — it was obscurely placed 

^ Badminton volume. 



12 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

near the railway. The umpiring was apparently 
somewhat casual, two gentlemen perched on wooden 
tables being engaged for one match, sometimes con- 
ferring with each other across the length of the 
net before a final decision was given. The majority 
of the players, we are told, delivered a round-hand 
service which, though it had some pace, was not 
very formidable. Nevertheless, its efficacy even 
under the conditions then prevailing was such that 
of the six hundred and one games contested in the 
tournament, three hundred and seventy - six were 
won by the server. 

Before the second championship meeting was 
held the All England legislators had been at work 
again and with a view to curtailing the advantage 
held by the server the net was lowered 3 inches 
both at the posts and in the centre.^ The service 
line was also reduced 4 feet. These changes may 
be said to have introduced the ''pat-ball era" and 
temporarily killed the volley. ''The rests were 
interminable and were not very interesting," says 
an eye-witness. " It was quite possible to take a 
country-walk after a rest began and get back in 
time to see the end of it." The winner of the 
second championship, Mr. P. F. Hadow, defeated 
Mr. Gore by simply tossing the ball over his head. 
The latter appears to have practically "sat on the 
net." Indeed so close was he on one occasion that, 

^ In 1880 the height of the net at the posts was reduced to 4 feet, 
the service line was brought in to 21 feet from the net, the server was 
allowed the option of having both feet on the service line instead of 
being compelled to place one foot beyond it, the prescribed variations 
in the size of the ball were amended and other variations of the laws 
adopted. 



ENTER LAWN TENNIS 13 

stretching his racket over the net, he volleyed a 
ball that had not crossed it. The stroke evoked 
an uproar, but was eventually given in his favour 
on the ground that a player had a right to hold 
his racket anywhere he could reach/ At one stage 
in the third set both men were so exhausted that 
it was all but decided to adjourn for a day's rest! 

Any fears then entertained that the fires of lawn 
tennis burning at Wimbledon would die down for 
lack of fuel proved imaginary. From twenty-two 
competitors in 1877 the entry rose to thirty-four in 
1878, and in 1879 there were forty-five aspirants for 
the championship. Among these were H. F. Lawford, 
who had won the third prize the previous year, and 
the twin brothers Renshaw, then Cheltenham boys 
eighteen years of age — names that in the next decade 
were destined to leave an indelible imprint on the 
annals of the game. The twins, for some reason 
or other, did not appear in person on this occasion. 
The programme, it may be noted was augmented 
by an additional event — a club handicap sweep- 
stake ; but the offer of a member to present a ladies' 
cup value /^S was not accepted, the decision eliciting 
a protest from the would-be donor, who wrote : '* I 
cannot but think the committee ungallant In passing 
by the ladies. They would, I think, come in time ! " 
In point of fact the ladies gave signal proof of their 
advancing prowess the same year in Dublin, where 
for the first time a championship reserved for their 
sex was instituted. 

A propos of the championships of 1879, 1880, 
1 88 1, I have been furnished with the following 

^ Mr. Brownlee. 



14 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

interesting recollections by Canon J. T. Hartley, 
winner on the two first occasions : — ** I was living 
in Yorkshire when lawn tennis was first invented 
and at once recognised the great value of the game 
as being akin to the fine games of tennis and 
racquets, and yet being accessible to all who had 
a good lawn. I had been fond of both these games 
and won some distinction at Harrow and Oxford. 
Of course this made me keen about lawn tennis 
when it was started. I had no Idea, however, that 
I was any real good until I met one of the Tabors 
who had played at Wimbledon, and defeated him 
fairly easily. He persuaded me to try my luck 
there the next year (1879) which I did. I had one 
very hard match with a man named Erskine, a fine 
player, but just won. Not having expected to live 
through to the end I had made no provision for my 
Sunday duty In Yorkshire. So I had to come 
home on Saturday, breakfast very early on Monday 
morning, drive ten miles to a station, get to London 
at two, and to Wimbledon just In time to play — 
rather tired by my journey and want of a meal. 
I nearly lost that game, the semi-final against Parr, 
but fortunately it came on to rain. We stopped, I 
got some tea, felt much refreshed and finished off 
all right. The next day I played ' St. Leger,' the 
now notorious Goold of Monte Carlo fame. He 
was then a cheery, wild Irishman, Irish champion, 
and a very pretty player. I think he volleyed more 
than any of us that year ; but there was some weak- 
ness I suppose in his play, as being fit and well 
after a night's rest I won three sets straight off. 

** The play then was much more moulded upon 



ENTER LAWN TENNIS 15 

real tennis than it is now. There was much careful 
play off the ground and placing of the ball. The 
hitting was not so hard as in later times. Neither 
Gore nor Hadow, two former champions, played 
In 1879. 

*'In 1880 I defended the cup against Lawford 
who had won the All-Comers!^ We had a hard 
game. I won three sets to one. We both played 
almost entirely off the ground. This was not, as it 
has been said, because we could not volley. Perhaps 
in after years in private games nobody volleyed much 
more than I did. It was because we thought it the 
safest game, having in our minds as I said before 
real tennis, chaces on the floor and so on. 

'* The year afterwards I was unfortunate. Coming 
up to Cheam to stay with the Tabors and to get a 
little practice, I started an attack of English cholera, 
which went on until after the championship, reduced 
me a stone in weight and made me very weak as 
well as stopping almost all practice. So my game 
with W. Renshaw was a farce. I ought not to 
have played it at all. I could never have beaten 
W. Renshaw, but fit and well I could, of course, 
have played him a much better game. After that 
I took to volleying and certainly played a stronger 
game than when I won the championship ; ^ but I 
was the wrong side of thirty, got no real good 
practice up at Bedale and so never really attempted 
any public play afterwards." 

^ In a preceding match between Mr. Lawford and Mr. E. Lubbock 
at Prince's a rest of no less than eighty-one strokes was witnessed. 

^ Canon Hartley, with Mr. J. T. Richardson, won the championship 
doubles in 1882. 



1 6 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

The racket in use at this period was designed 
after the fashion of the real tennis racket and was 
curved in the head, grotesquely curved according to 
modern ideas. Indeed, one of the earliest rackets 
of all which Mr. Tate has in his possession and 
which may be seen in the accompanying illustra- 
tion, has a playing surface only about half the size 
of the present area and a handle covered with white 
leather, proportionately thinner. When the limita- 
tions of the real tennis stroke with its horizontal 
movement were realised and the game was developed 
in other directions, mainly in the employment of the 
vertical stroke, the face of the racket simultaneously 
broadened and became more uniform. Mr. Lawford, 
whose forte was a fierce forehand drive from the 
back of the court, naturally coveted a substantial, 
broad-faced weapon, and it was at his suggestion, 
I believe, that the first "straight" racket was 
made by Mr. Tate.^ The Renshaws, however, 
remained almost exclu^^ively loyal to a slight curve ; 
and until they retired their faith was reflected in 
others. I One may note that there is not, and never 
has been, any rule limiting the size or weight of the 
racket. To-day if any daring spirit went into court 
at an open meeting armed with an original racket 
or with an implement twice the orthodox dimensions 
none could say him nay.l 

As to the ball, the first used was soft and un- 
covered. It was Mr. J. M. Heathcotein the seventies 
who discovered that balls covered with white flannel 
were better able to control and had a more uniform 
bound. For some time the seams were stitched 

1 The head has since been slightly narrowed. 







H 

M 
o 

H 

o 

:^ 
o 

H 

O 

> 

00 '^ 

H 





ENTER LAWN TENNIS 17 

outside, and it was again Mr. Lawford at whose 
suggestion the inside seam was adopted. Playing 
on the now defunct asphalt court at Wimbledon 
in winter, the ex-champion found that the old ball 
did not always bounce true on the hard surface. 
The late Mr. F. H. Ayres made several experiments 
with thread, catgut and what not to satisfy Mr. Law- 
ford's requirements. Boxes of sample balls would 
be sent down to Mr. Lawford's house. Until Mr. 
Ayres finally triumphed, the punctilious champion 
was wont to send each consignment back with 
some such laconic message as **burn them." Char- 
acteristic of Mr. Lawford ! 



CHAPTER II 
ANNALS OF WIMBLEDON 

The glorious reign of Renshaw — The brothers make their debut and 
are beaten — William Renshaw wins a love set against Lawford in eleven 
minutes — Spectacles that "formed the high water mark of lawn tennis" 
— Inauguration of the doubles and the ladies' championships — A young 
girl who created a record and a sensation — The relative merits of the 
Renshaws — Pim v. Wilfred Baddeley — Profits diminish — Mr. E. G. 
Meers gives his impressions of the early nineties and incidentally 
relates some stories — Championships lost by one stroke — The ten years' 
reign of the Dohertys — Frank Riseley plays like one inspired — Norman 
Brookes comes and conquers — Miss May Sutton fulfils a prophecy — 
Looking forward 

THE influence which William Renshaw ex- 
ercised over lawn tennis in general and 
Wimbledon in particular cannot be over- 
estimated. He came into the arena at a time when 
the game seemed to have reached the limits of its 
expansion ; save for a perfect and mechanical precision 
in strokes off the ground there was apparently no 
further scope for advance and enterprise. Renshaw 
was the agent by which, as Mr. Heathcote observes, 
lawn tennis asserted an individuality it had not pre- 
viously possessed, shook itself free from the trammels 
of racquets and tennis and entered seriously on the 
development of individual principles and tactics. 
For six years he remained absolutely invincible ; 
for seven his name was inscribed on the champion- 



ANNALS OF WIMBLEDON 19 

ship roll. His unparagoned skill, his bustling 
methods, his rapidity of movement and his dashing 
personality drew and fascinated crowds for a decade. 
No champion in any sport ever had such an enthusi- 
astic following, no player of this or any other day was so 
sought after by tournament committees, and no man 
is more closely identified with the rise of the racket. 

Before me lies a dilapidated programme (a single 
card, priced at sixpence) of the 1880 championship 
meeting at which William and Ernest Renshaw 
made their bow at Wimbledon. William won his 
first two rounds in three straight sets and was then 
drawn to play O. E. Woodhouse, reputed to be the 
first man who ever volleyed.^ I like the impression 
which the late Herbert Chipp has given : 

'*The Irish champion — Renshaw had just won 
the title for the first time — secured the opening set ; 
but that was the length of his tether. Woodhouse, 
who was a remarkably fine player — he joined the 
majority early, alas ! — won the next three sets and 
the match ! At no time after the first set did 
Renshaw appear at his ease. He had a fall or two 
on the slippery ground, took off his shoes, played in 
his stocking soles, put the shoes on again, then tried 
another pair (I believe he had no 'steel points' with 
him) — all to no purpose. It was clearly not his day 
and in no disparagement of Woodhouse's display, 
which was an excellent one, I muttered to myself, 
* But what came ye out for to see ? ' Quite well do 
I remember Ernest Renshaw standing on the bank 
above the court (he had just disposed of his man) 
looking moodily on at his brother's vain attempts 

^ Mr. Wilberforce. 



20 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

to stem the tide of defeat. Had he a presentiment 
he would share his brother's fate on the morrow at 
the hands of the same player ? " ^ 

During the seven years Renshaw dominated 
Wimbledon — and every other tournament at which 
he appeared besides — his strenuous fights with H. F. 
Lawford stand out as an ever-memorable feature. 
Ernest Renshaw had been his brother's challenger 
in 1882 and 1883, but for the next three years the 
twin had to face the onslaught of the great base- 
liner — fierce encounters that sent the denizens of 
Mayfair, the clubs and the City in special trains to 
Wimbledon ^ and caused a stupendous boom in lawn 
tennis. It is said that half a sovereign was once 
paid for standing room on a couple of bricks ! '' Well 
I remember the first meeting between these giants," 
says Mr. Chipp, ''and how the holder electrified 
everybody by the rapidity of his scoring. He won 
a love set in eleven minutes, and in that set there 
was practically only one man in the court." Renshaw 
took the second also, but not nearly so comfortably, 
and it was evident that the vigour of his attack was 
declining. The third set was entered upon amid 
breathless silence. '* Lawford had by no means 
abandoned hope — he never did. Twice he said to 
me as he passed (I was taking the farther side line), 
* If I can only win this set the match is mine ! ' How- 
ever, Renshaw, although tiring rapidly and forced 
now to play on the defensive, was able to reach 
seven-all. Pulling himself together for a supreme 

^ Woodhouse beat E. Renshaw by three sets to one. 
2 Three thousand five hundred spectators witnessed the Renshaw- 
Lawford match in 1885. 



ANNALS OF WIMBLEDON 21 

effort he scored the next two games with the loss 
of only two strokes and thus rendered secure his 
position as premier player." 

The demeanour and deportment of the two 
warriors were very different. H. S. Scrivener 
mentions that Renshaw gave an index to his 
highly strung temperament in the quickness of his 
movement and speech and in the rapidity with 
which he played. *' He never waited between the 
sets if he could help it, changing ends at a brisk 
walk and doing his best (without any suspicion of 
bustling) to keep his opponent and the ball going 
at the same time. Lawford being a big, powerful 
man, was naturally slower in his movements. But 
in spite of slight manifestations of impatience on 
Renshaw's part and mild protests on the part of 
Lawford at the rate at which the second service 
succeeded the first, these battles were fought out 
with the utmost good temper on both sides. Nothing 
finer in lawn tennis has ever been seen than the 
dogged stubbornness of Lawford. Even when 
leading he fought for every ace ; for he knew that 
with Renshaw he was never safe ; and his knowledge 
was absolutely sound. Often as he got within 
measurable distance of winning during those six 
years, it was always Renshaw who in the end 
came out on top — a man who like all really great 
players, had something in reserve for a crisis." 
Chipp inclined to the belief that as a spectacle 
these encounters formed the high- water mark of 
lawn tennis — a pronouncement certainly indisputable 
in regard to the epoch which they adorned. I can 
well believe that it required a considerable amount 



22 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

of nerve to stand up against Lawford, more terrify- 
ing to second-class players than the champion himself. 
A contemporary describes him as a '' grim, determined 
player, with a sardonic smile, who neither asked for 
nor gave quarter, whose arm never seemed to tire 
and whose attack was crushing to a degree." In 
his early matches Lawford wore a striped football 
jersey, a porkpie cap to match, and knickerbockers. 
Subsequently he changed the first two for less 
conspicuous articles, but nothing would ever make 
him substitute trousers for knickers. 

As an index to the importance and popularity 
which the championship had assumed in the early 
eighties, it may be mentioned that the advertising 
charges rose in one year from ;^6 to ^90, while 
the committee as the result of the increased gate 
money were able to erect a permanent grand-stand, 
recommend the purchase of the ground for ^3000, 
increase the admission fee from one shilling to half 
a crown and order medals to be struck for past, 
present and future champions. Efforts were made 
to push croquet to the wall, and in 1882 its early 
demise was hinted at in the annual report. The 
receipts at the three last croquet championship 
meetings had yielded no more than seven shillings 
in each year. "It is evident," afiErmed this docu- 
ment, *' the public no longer take any interest in 
croquet matches." But a proposal to change the 
name of the club to the All England Lawn Tennis 
Club brought up the croquet members in arms ; they 
defeated the motion by two votes. The committee 
thereupon resigned — a coup (Titat that had the 
desired effect, for the proposal was subsequently 



ANNALS OF WIMBLEDON 23 

carried. A little later, ^ at a meeting of club 
secretaries held at Westminster, a committee was 
appointed to confer with the All England Club with 
a view to the latter joining a Lawn Tennis Associa- 
tion. Strangely enough the next noteworthy item 
in the minutes was the decision to cover the open 
stand with an iron roof. Could it be possible that 
this resolve was a sequel to the first event ! 

Another event of importance in 1884 was the 
presentation by Oxford University of the doubles 
championship cup, first instituted at Oxford five 
years earlier, when the contest ran to the inordinate 
length of seven sets.^ The ladies' championship, for 
which the demand had steadily been growing in 
volume, was also inaugurated this year, the title 
being won by Miss Maud Watson, a lady who at 
that time had not tasted defeat. Both innovations, 
and especially the doubles, added much to the 
popularity of Wimbledon — a popularity to which 
the magnetic presence of the Renshaws doubtless 
contributed. '' There was something in their style 
of play," says Mr. Scrivener, "easy, graceful, yet 
strenuous enough when occasion demanded ; some- 
thing in their handsome bronzed faces and well-knit 
figures, something in their neat ''turn out," some- 
thing in short in their whole personality which 
appealed irresistibly to the onlookers and caused 
them to run helter-skelter across the courts in 
pursuit of their favourites." 

Of the relative merits of the Renshaws this much 

^ January 1883. 

^ L. R. Erskine and H. F. Lawford were the first winners of the 
doubles championship played at Oxford. 



24 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

may be said, that Ernest would undoubtedly have 
won the championship as often as William if his 
brother had not stood in the way, and that when 
absolutely at his best probably not even William 
would have beaten him. *' Ernest had a perfect 
command of every stroke ; he had absolutely no 
weak spot and was extraordinarily active," G. W. 
Hillyard affirms; *'and though William was more 
brilliant I believe Ernest was an even better player." 
E. G. Meers, another contemporary, agrees with 
this view. ** In his two best years Ernest was 
stronger and more finished than ever his brother 
was. I know which I would sooner have played.-^ 
Against William in public and private I won twelve 
matches and lost twoj against Ernest I lost six 
matches and won only two." An eye-witness of 
Ernest's apotheosis in 1888 declares his game to 
have been the most scientific display of lawn tennis 
ever seen. As a handicap player Ernest certainly 
excelled his brilliant brother. He once gave the 
lady champion^ thirty and defeated her after a 
Vantage game in the third set. 

One figure that created something of a sensation 
in the Wimbledon arena about twenty years ago 
deserves more than passing mention. It was that 
of a young girl, in the middle of her teens, who after 
the manner of Miss May Sutton in recent years 
(though their styles of play were quite dissimilar) 
proved invincible to all comers. This was Miss 
''Lottie" Dod, who in all won the ladies' title on 

^ Mr. Meers admits, what was doubtless true, that W. Renshaw 
may not have been at his best in later years. 
2 Miss Dod. 



ANNALS OF WIMBLEDON 3$ 

five occasions, a record that only Mrs. Hillyard 
has surpassed. Miss Dod was, indeed, a prodigy. 
When only twelve she was known as the ''little 
wonder" and at fourteen she could have defeated 
many men. She possessed in an eminent degree 
the faculty of anticipating her opponent's reply. 
Her forehand stroke had the power and direction 
of a man's ; her backhand, though less virile, was 
decidedly good ; she had not a weak point in her 
armour. She always volleyed with great judgment 
and had a capital smash — a weapon (in those days 
especially) deadly in its effect and in a ladies' double 
an ace-winner every time. Entering the tournament 
arena as a child, Miss Dod left it, still pre-eminent, 
at an age when many ladies have not begun their 
public career. Her second love was golf, at which 
game she has reached the same heights of perfection. 
In reviewing the championship meetings of thirty 
years three factors would appear to have contributed 
to their popular success, or the lack of them have 
evoked depression :- — (i) The magnetic personality of 
the principal performers (2) the prospect of a close 
match between two protagonists and (3) a strong 
international flavour. Sometimes, notably in 1905, 
you had all these agencies at work together ; some- 
times you had two ; sometimes only one, and occasion- 
ally there came a lean year, when the prospect of 
the champion being dethroned was remote, when 
there was no "star turn" to attract the crowd. 
Almost immediately the Renshaws forsook the scenes 
of their former glory, the stands began to show 
ominous gaps and the public interest in the annual 
carnival visibly slackened. It was not because the 



36 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

standard of play had declined or because the events 
did not yield exciting matches that were hotly fought 
out to the bitter end. The meetings between Pirn 
and Wilfred Baddeley in the early nineties provided 
in the opinion of many sound judges the finest exposi- 
tion of lawn tennis ever seen in the classic centre 
court — matches in which the effortless brilliancy and 
marvellous versatility of the Irishmen were pitted 
against the superb generalship, supreme accuracy 
and cat-like activity of the Englishman. These 
Anglo-Irish engagements were followed with keen 
appreciation by lawn tennis votaries, upon whom 
they have left a deep impression. But the champion- 
ships of that era did not excite the same measure of 
public enthusiasm as the Renshaw series. Indeed, 
so marked had been the decline in the profits at 
Wimbledon that a special committee of the club 
was appointed in 1895 to consider what steps should 
be taken '' with a view to rendering future meetings 
more popular with players and the public." One 
result was the introduction of the All England Plate 
— a ''consolation race" for early victims in the 
premier event. The profits, however, continued to 
dwindle until at the 1898 meeting, the second year 
of R. F. Doherty's reign, they fell as low as ;^7o. 
Next year, however, came a revival. Mr. Archdale 
Palmer, than whom no more enterprising or energetic 
official has ever controlled affairs at Wimbledon, 
assumed the secretaryship and with the Dohertys 
nearing the zenith of their power the public again 
rallied to the support of the club. 

Before touching briefly on the outstanding features 
of the last decade let me interpolate a few impressions 



ANNALS OF WIMBLEDON 27 

of the early nineties kindly furnished for this volume 
by Mr. E. G. Meers, a deep student as well as a 
skilled professor of the game. Mr. Meers considers 
that In those days the play was more Inspiring and 
tactical ability more evidenced. "Allowing for the 
tendency which old people have of extolling the 
doings of their younger days, I am. quite satisfied In 
my own mind," writes Mr. Meers, " that, with the 
exception of volleying and service, the play was 
far more accurate and better thought out than now. 
The volleying of the present day appears to me to 
be a little more severe than formerly, but at the 
same time more risky. The service known as the 
American twist service is, In the hands of such 
players as Mr. Brookes and a few others, more 
deadly and difficult to deal with than the service 
of most of the best players of the eighties and 
nineties. But it appears to be forgotten that there 
were occasionally players who got quite as much 
twist on their services as the average of the twist 
services of the present day ; although they certainly 
did not vary their services to anything like the same 
extent. Mr. Humphrey Berkeley In the eighties, 
and the late Mr. Herbert Chipp, also Dr. Stone and 
one or two more, got a most disconcerting twist on 
their services. There was a man named Brown at 
Harrow, against whom E. L. Williams and myself 
played in the late eighties, whose service was as 
bad to take as Brookes'. On soft turf It was almost 
unreturnable, for It jumped aside a lot, and there was 
much spin on It. In fact Williams told me that on 
one occasion he found himself Invited to play a set 
with Mr. Brown at a garden party and, mainly on 



2 8 THE (COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

account of the latter's service, got beaten — and 
Williams' ability as a player at that time is a matter 
of history. 

** In respect to conditions at Wimbledon there 
are certainly improvements to-day. The ground is 
kept more level and better mown. The players' 
names and the times they are due to play are posted 
up, and some attention is given to 'background.' 
The attitude of the spectators is more sensible. 
Formerly net-cord strokes and other accidents came 
in for no end of applause ; and the wrong strokes 
were applauded much more than they are now. The 
spectators were also in the old days a little liable 
to assist the umpire by tendering their unasked 
opinions. In a match in which I was once engaged 
the umpire could not see a ball which fell near the 
far side-line, and noticing that the linesman had 
decamped he was doubtful what to do. ' Out ' 
shouted a dozen spectators. *In' shouted as many 
more. 'Mr. Umpire,' I said, 'umpiring by crowd 
is not a success. I think we will make it a let.' 
Umpiring and general management certainly show 
distinct advance. 

" Formerly the competitors gave more attention 
to their condition than now, and this circumstance in 
my opinion accounts a good deal for the ' in-and-out ' 
form showm at the present day. The prospect of the 
winner of the All-Comers securing the title was not 
greater then than it is to-day. The same things 
had their effect. When the winner of the All-Comers 
comes to the championship fairly fresh and is not 
exhausted and ' behind his condition ' from several 
protracted matches, I consider that he has an 



ANNALS OF WIMBLEDON 29 

enormous advantage over the holder ; but since the 
winner of the All-Comers is nearly always overplayed 
and stale, the advantage is the other way. Some 
champions take care to get regular and serious 
practice before the challenge round, and some do 
not. 

''The outstanding figures in my day were Pim, 
W. Baddeley, Ernest Renshaw, Barlow, Mahony, 
Eaves and E. W. Lewis. What impressed me most 
about these men was the enormous amount of work 
they put into the practice of the game, both in public 
and private. Perhaps this remark does not apply to 
Pim who seemed to possess more actual genius or 
natural ability for lawn tennis than anyone I have 
ever met. W. Baddeley was the most consistent 
player of them all. E. Renshaw had a very remark- 
able command of the ball ; he was inclined to hit at 
times a little too softly, but there were two years 
— 1888 and 1892 — in which he developed more 
severity than at other times, and his record for 
those years has hardly been equalled. Barlow's 
immense physical strength, wonderful condition and 
quickness impressed me rather than the quality 
of his strokes. Mahony was a persistent volleyer, 
but weak in the forehand off the ground. W. V. 
Eaves had hardly a weak spot in his armour, and as 
for E. W. Lewis, so much has been said of his 
w^onderful style and power over the ball in all 
positions that I, in common with everyone else who 
knew him, cannot understand why he was never 
champion at Wimbledon. 

*' I recall a few episodes of this period. No first- 
or second-class man with a reputation would deign 



30 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

(in the eighties and even later) to play a weaker man 
in practice without giving him points. This was 
sometimes carried a little too far. I remember the 
late Colonel Osborn remarking in his dry way, 
* Mr. A. gives Mr. B. half-fifteen, not because he 
thinks he can give it but because he knows that he 
cannot.' One well-known player in the early nineties 
actually refused to play another man (who became 
champion a few weeks later) in a public exhibition 
match, unless he gave him fifteen. This well-known 
player was badly beaten by the other on level terms 
at Wimbledon. 

'' There was a leading player who when things 
were against him, would sometimes throw his racket 
on the ground, and somewhat quietly — though with 
suppressed rage — argue with it at length, as to its 
reasons for thus treating him. The game was at a 
standstill till he finished apostrophising his racket, 
but his opponent usually had a good deal of amuse- 
ment from the variety of epithets hurled at the 
unoffending weapon. 

** One recollection of the inimitable Pim. He 
played, as you know, with a very low trajectory and 
frequently got net-cord strokes. After one match a 
weak but enthusiastic player, who had been very 
interested and who was a great admirer of Pim, 
remarked on these strokes to a well-known Irish 
player who with Barlow was standing near. * Oh/ 
said they, ' don't you know Pim can do these strokes 
whenever he likes ? ' And on Pim coming up just 
then, they appealed to him for corroboration. *Of 
course I can,' said Pim, with a smile. Taking up a 
ball — they were standing in an unoccupied court — he 



ANNALS OF WIMBLEDON 31 

bounced it on the ground and made a drive at the 
net, making by accident a splendid net-cord stroke. 
Pirn prudently did not try again ; but that weak and 
enthusiastic player will believe for the rest of his 
natural life that Pirn could really do what was claimed 
for him every time ! " 

The occasions on which the issue of the 
championship has been changed by the fate of a 
single stroke are so rare as to warrant special 
mention. There was that memorable match, the 
final of the All-Comers in 1895, when W. V. Eaves 
had W. Baddeley a beaten man, requiring but a 
single ace to win a three-set victory and the blue 
riband of the lawn.-^ '* The opening presented itself," 
says an eye-witness, "and his bid for the high honour 
took the form of a lob to his opponent's base-line. 
But the lob, unhappily for Eaves, dropped six inches 
too far and Baddeley must have felt as one delivered 
from imminent death." The golden opportunity 
passed and did not, alas, return. G. W. Hillyard is 
another player who might have been champion but 
for the cruel intervention of Fate. After a brilliant 
victory over H. L. Doherty, the favourite for the 
title then held by his brother, Hillyard opposed A. W. 
Gore under a fierce sun, and at one time was leading 
by two sets to one, five games to four and 40 love ! 
At this critical juncture Gore drove a ball which hit 
the top of the net, hesitated one breathless second as 
to which side it should fall, then jumped down over 
Hillyard s outstretched racket. Had the ball fallen 
on the other side or had it come over in the ordinary 
way, another name would probably have been added 

^ Dr. Pim did not defend his title this year. 



32 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

to the championship roll ; for it was tolerably certain 
at the time that the winner of this match would 
survive the challenge round, as was actually the case.-^ 
Perhaps the name of H. S. Barlow should also be 
included in the list of players who may be said to 
have required but one stroke to win the title. In 
1889 Barlow had achieved an unexpected triumph 
over W. J. Hamilton — who carried off the palm the 
following year — and in the final met W. Renshaw,^ 
back in the ring again after a temporary retirement. 
The famous twin was many times within imminent 
danger of defeat and once, when within a stroke of 
losing the match in the fourth set he slipped and 
dropped his racket which fell a yard or two away. 
Barlow had the *'plum in his mouth," but he made 
a slow toss towards his opponent's base-line. 
Renshaw recovered his footing, and his racket, won 
the stroke and ultimately the match. Such an 
incident as this will live for ever in the annals of 
lawn tennis. 

I refer elsewhere^ to the doings of the Dohertys, 
the third lawn tennis fraternity whose prowess has 
focused the eyes of men at Wimbledon. Since 
the day, eleven summers ago, when the elder de- 
posed H. S. Mahony and inaugurated a family 
reign which was to last a decade, this name 
has been on the tongue of every lawn tennis 
votary. It will live so long as the game is 
played. The Renshaws held the singles title between 

^ R. F. Doherty, the holder, was admittedly in poor health. 
* W. Renshaw beat his brother in the challenge round with com- 
parative ease. 

« See Chapters XVI. and XVII. 



ANNALS OF WIMBLEDON 33 

them for eight years, the Dohertys for nine ; and it 
is curious that the difference in duration of their 
supremacy in doubles is also only a matter of one 
year. The famous twins, however, were never once 
beaten at Wimbledon,^ whereas their successors were 
twice dethroned ; ^ yet he would be a bold man who 
would deny the right of the Dohertys to be called the 
finest combination that ever trod the green sward of 
the centre court. Well do I remember as if it were 
yesterday the first occasion on which the sequence 
of the brothers' triumphs was broken — and by a pair 
employing an unorthodox plan of campaign. I can 
see Frank Riseley dancing like a cat on hot bricks 
within a foot or two of the net, waiting to pounce 
upon and kill any ball he could possibly reach ; 
S. H. Smith at the back of the court, firing his 
hurricane drives across or down the side lines and 
lobbing to perfection when occasion demanded ; the 
champions for once held at bay, anxiety traceable on 
their faces but outwardly as calm and collected as 
if they were romping to victory, by no means 
demoralised but temporarily overcome by the fierce- 
ness and audacity of their opponents' attack. The 
brothers took substantial and conclusive revenge the 
next year and twice after that thrust their victory 
home ; but history was to repeat itself sooner than 
many anticipated. From a financial point of view if 
from no other 1906 was the most successful year 
Wimbledon ever experienced. There was a balance 

^ In 1889, in the challenge round, the Renshaws only beat G. W. 
Hillyard and E. W. Lewis (who had defeated the twins in Dublin just 
previously) by the odd set in five. 

^ By S. H. Smith and F. L. Riseley in 1902 and 1906. 

3 



34 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

of over ^2000. Nearly 30,000 people must have 
passed through the gates during the meeting. The 
magnificent victory of Smith and Riseley over the 
brothers came as a fitting climax to a great festival. 
Neither R. F. Doherty nor Smith was in his best 
form, but the display of Riseley was a revelation. 
Smashing so consistently powerful, a service so 
severe and volleying so audacious or effective have, 
I think, never been seen in combination at 
Wimbledon before. The Cliftonian played like one 
inspired. 

I cannot close this chapter without referring to 
two figures whose presence has done so much to 
maintain enthusiasm and fill the stands at Wimbledon 
— the respective holders of the men's and ladies' 
championships. The advent of Norman Brookes in 
1905 was at once a revelation of colonial prowess 
and the beginning of a new epoch in the history of 
the game. The manner in which the stern-faced, 
indomitable Victorian, defying English methods, 
swept triumphant through the British lines that 
year, being only prevented from capturing the 
citadel by the skill and fortitude of H. L. Doherty, 
evoked a sensation and set the seal of fame on the 
Australian invader. No match on this side of the 
Atlantic ever drew such a crowd and excited such 
intense interest as the meeting of Brookes and 
Doherty, and if most of us felt at the finish that the 
better man had won, we do not forget that the rallies 
were fierce and long and that the result might have 
been more in doubt if the holder, like the challenger, 
had been called upon to face the ordeal and suffer 
the physical trials of the eliminating contest. Two 



ANNALS OF WIMBLEDON 35 

years later Brookes came again and this time, though 
the field was narrowed and the powers of English 
defence weakened by the absence of H. L. Doherty 
and S. H. Smith, to say nothing of F. L. Riseley, 
the stronghold was carried and for the first time in 
its history the championship passed from the keep- 
ing of the British Isles. Nor was this all. The 
doubles championship fell to the rackets of the 
dauntless Australian and his New Zealand partner. 
England for once saw her three national titles^ borne 
off on the broad shoulders of a colonial, her players 
not gaining so much as a single set in defence of 
these treasures. 

That the ladies* title should also have gone 
abroad is another blow to home prestige, though I 
for one can look with equanimity on these " foreign " 
victories, regarding them as welcome signs of the 
progress of lawn tennis in other lands and testifying 
to the universality of a great game. No man or 
woman who has ever swung a racket could remain 
impassive to the success attending Miss May Sutton's 
mission to this country. For an ingenuous girl still 
in her teens, to journey unattended three times from 
California to Wimbledon and on two occasions to 
carry all before her (including the hearts of many 
onlookers), defeating in succession ladies trained by 
long experience in all the arts of a difficult pastime, 
is a feat which compels our admiration. Its achieve- 
ment also mitigates any national mortification we 
may feel. No ladies' battles on the courts have 
made such a wide appeal or created so deep an 

^ With Mrs. Hillyard, Brookes won the All England Mixed Doubles 
Championship at Manchester. 



36 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

impression as the three challenge rounds between 
Miss Sutton and Mrs. Lambert Chambers. Spec- 
tators came almost as early and waited as patiently 
for the drama to begin as if the All England ground 
had been the Lyceum and the occasion an Irving 
premiere. And as one recalls that sea of animated 
faces, the breathless silence with which each moment- 
ous rally was followed and the rapturous applause 
between the rests, one can also remember the 
prophecy of the All England committee-man, who 
twenty years earlier had declared, " The ladies will 
come in time ! " 

What has destiny in store for future patrons of 
Wimbledon? It is certain th4t testimony to the 
cosmopolitanism of lawn tennis, recently demon- 
strated by the successful invasion of pilgrims from 
Melbourne and Pasadena, will be furnished at each 
succeeding championship. In short, the days when 
the players of this country can regard the blue riband 
of the lawn as their rightful heritage are over. Con- 
ditions of play may be improved but they are scarcely 
likely to be materially changed. It is also difficult 
to see how the highest standard of play can be 
advanced, though the general standard, especially 
where ladies are concerned, will doubtless continue 
its upward tendency. There are many ever-present 
factors, such as temperature, light and wind, whose 
variations will and must militate against further 
accuracy and the actualisatlon of an absolute ideal. 
If the steadiness of Baddeley and H. L. Doherty, 
the brilliancy of Pim and Lewis, the placing 
of Chipp and Chaytor, the service of Brookes 
and Ward, Ernest Renshaw's lobbing and absolute 



ANNALS OF WIMBLEDON 37 

command of the ball could be combined in one 
player, Wimbledon and the world at large would 
acknowledge a master against whom every cham- 
pion of the last thirty years would have fought in 
vain. 



CHAPTER III 

LAWN TENNIS IN OTHER LANDS 

The universal game — America's national pastime — President 
Roosevelt as a player — The " Tennis Cabinet " at Washington — Schools 
as recruiting agencies — Popularity in the Colonies — Conditions and 
progress in Australia — New Zealand's seven thousand club members — 
Nursing budding talent — Continental expansion — Eight hundred players 
in Hamburg — Some famous German tournaments — Austria a land of 
rich promise — A. F. Wilding relates some experiences — Spain and 
Portugal — The keenness of the late King Carlos — Sweden's proud boast 
— A recollection of Stockholm and of King Gustav — Switzerland's appeal 

LAWN TENNIS has long ceased to be only 
an Englishman's game. Indeed, regarded 
as a national pastime, its hold on the popular 
mind is stronger in America and in some of the 
Continental countries than in the land of its birth or 
in the Colonies of Great Britain. In athletic England 
lawn tennis entered a competitive field already 
occupied and the fact that it has claimed the allegiance 
of so many supporters and assumed the place and 
power it has is adequate testimony to its inherent 
virtues. On the Continent the soil may be said to 
have been already prepared for the seed — a rich and 
fertile soil as events have proved ; and the growth 
of the game has supplied opportunely the demand 
for athletic culture. Its influence on the recreative 

side of national life in Europe has been deep and 

38 



LAWN TENNIS IN OTHER LANDS 39 

catholic. Young men who formerly amused them- 
selves in the cafe and found their only outlet for 
physical energy in conscription now flock to the 
courts. Older men, finding a medium at hand for 
healthy and novel exercise, which relieved the 
monotony of the chase, welcomed the pastime with 
scarcely less enthusiasm ; and when Royalty gave 
it blessing and active patronage and Society realised 
that it had found a new and pleasant diversion, the 
triumph of lawn tennis was assured. Nor can the 
limits of its future expansion be defined. Every 
month proclaims new clubs and the inception of new 
tournaments and at each international meeting the 
lists become more cosmopolitan. Indeed, surprising 
as the fact may appear to some people, lawn tennis 
can claim more adherents the world over than any 
game in existence. Equally is it true that its clubs 
out-number those of any other pastime. 

Some conception of the fervour with which lawn 
tennis is pursued in the United States may be gathered 
elsewhere in this volume.^ Barely more than thirty 
years ago the pastime in America was unknown ; 
to-day it is virtually the summer national pastime. 
It has a firm and permanent hold at all the leading 
colleges, is played in the public parks and in private 
gardens and is an indispensable feature of every 
country club. At Washington, the seat of Govern- 
ment, it enjoys unusual prestige, not only the public 
officials but the President and several members of 
the Cabinet being numbered among its ardent 
adherents. Mr. Roosevelt personally supervised 
the construction of a hard-packed clay court in a 
^ See Chapter XVI. 



40 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

corner of the White House grounds, not forgetting 
to add a dark green fence which should serve the 
double purpose of a playing background and a screen. 
Here the President, clad in rough-and-ready flannels, 
neither new nor fashionable, may be found at play 
nearly every afternoon in good weather, and with 
him as partners or against him as opponents have 
appeared from time to time many noted politicians 
and diplomats. Indeed, the coterie of White House 
tennis enthusiasts which Mr. Roosevelt has gathered 
round him is popularly known in Washington as the 
''Tennis Cabinet" and is said to exercise almost as 
potent an influence over administrative affairs in the 
capital as the real Cabinet ! The Bishop of London, as 
newspapers on both sides did not fail to inform the out- 
side world, was a recent guest on the President's court. 
But though the President of the United States 
may, as a man past middle life, engage in lawn tennis 
for its tonic qualities, the career of the expert in 
America is comparatively short. For one thing he 
is shipped into business soon after leaving college 
and only rarely pursues the game seriously after the 
office call has been answered. On the other hand 
he begins to wield a racket at a much earlier age than 
his British cousin ; players have won the blue riband 
in the States while still at college. The Inter- 
scholastic Association, founded seventeen years ago, 
promotes tournaments every year which are held 
under the| auspices of seven of the leading uni- 
versities, the winners at each meeting at Newport 
during the week of the National championship to 
decide the School championship. These competitions 
not only stimulate friendly rivalry between the schools, 




Q 
O 

o 

> 

Q 
> 

CO 

W 
H 

o 



LAWN TENNIS IN OTHER LANDS 41 

but are invaluable recruiting agencies for the senior 
tournaments. The inter-scholastic champion may, 
and often does, prove to be the national champion of 
the immediate future^- The universities also run a 
competition of their own which encourages both cor- 
porate and individual zeal. As recent international 
matches have demonstrated, the standard of play in 
America is quite as high as the standard in this 
country, and for spectacular, if not sustained, brilliancy 
the best exponents across the Atlantic are as a body 
probably superior to any players in the world. 
American ladies, however, have not yet reached the 
same standard as the ladies in England, though their 
devotion to the game is indisputable and one of their 
number has so far upset previous calculations as to 
win the blue riband at Wimbledon on two occasions. 
American girls do not get the same opportunity to 
develop their skill as English girls. A first-class 
mixed double is comparatively rare as are ladies' 
events generally at the principal tournaments, and 
the long distance between the various tennis centres 
precludes many team matches. The next few years 
may tell a different story. 

There is no need to emphasize the popularity of 
lawn tennis in Britain beyond the Seas. It has 
gained the adhesion of thousands of colonials of 
both sexes. There is not a city of any size in 
Australia which does not boast its clubs and even 
in the distant back-blocks a court of hardened earth 
is improvised by the exiled workers. Each State 
possesses an association which controls the game 
within its boundaries and these, with New Zealand, 
form the Lawn Tennis Association of Australasia, 



42 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

a governing body that directs international and inter- 
state matches, as well as the Australasian champion- 
ships, and also organises teams for service abroad. 
As the game can be played in the open all the year 
round it is possible for the itinerant champion to be 
continuously in court from March to December, his 
fighting line passing through Adelaide, Tasmania, 
Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne. Inter- 
state matches, especially those between Victoria 
and New South Wales which have historic traditions, 
are a feature of Australian tennis, and a place in a 
State team is a justly coveted honour.^ Grass courts 
of excellent quality are used for these matches, as 
for the State championships. At Sydney, Melbourne 
and Adelaide the courts are prepared on the local 
cricket Oval, while the associations at Brisbane and 
Perth use their own grounds. But in Melbourne, 
except on these occasions, asphalt courts are uni- 
versally employed and are available all the year 
round — an advantage which makes the covered 
court unnecessary. Australians prove themselves apt 
pupils and remarkably zealous in the pursuit of new 
strokes. The exposition of the American service 
by Mr. Norman Brookes stirred the pulses of every 
player in Victoria and yielded at once a host of 
disciples all bent on acquiring the new weapon of 
attack. But Australia, like England, lacks the school 
nursery to stimulate budding talent. The colonial 
universities are more modern in their ideas and 
Inter-' Varsity matches now form a conspicuous feature 
of the athletic year. Professionalism, here as else- 
where, is foreign to the game. 

^ N. E. Brookes first played for Victoria in 1896. 



LAWN TENNIS IN OTHER LANDS 43 

Some idea of the growth of lawn tennis in New 
Zealand may be gathered from the fact that the 
New Zealand Association has now affiliated to it 
9 district associations, 2 sub-associations, 123 clubs 
and 7110 playing members. At the championship 
meeting held at Christchurch in 1906 there were no 
fewer than 429 entries for all events. As in Australia 
most of the clubs have hard courts which are utilised 
throughout the year. The Thorndon Club in 
Wellington, however, has very good grass courts, 
and better still are the grass courts at Napier in 
Hawkes Bay, the venue of the championships in 
1903. About thirty open tournaments were held 
in New Zealand last season. All the associations 
hold their own championships at which handicap 
events are included. Public school championships, 
be it noted to the credit of this Dominion, are held 
at Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin, 
and in addition several of the leading clubs include 
boys' events in their tournament programmes. The 
young player of promise is not neglected in New 
Zealand. Clubs, of course, have their own meetings 
— at one no less than twenty-five trophies are com- 
peted for annually. The keen spirit animating the 
players is instanced by the fact that the courts are 
often occupied as early as five in the morning and 
only cleared at nightfall. Right through the winter 
one club that I could mention has an average daily 
attendance of fifty players and only five courts for 
service. A committee-man **runs a book" and 
regulates the flux of members into court so that 
everyone has an equal innings. The players are 
classified according to merit and the men are required 



44 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

to take their share of mixed doubles. It is an excellent 
idea. 

In South Africa the hard court has universal 
rule and the atmospheric conditions favour fast 
play. The standard has risen considerably in recent 
years and exhibits every promise of further rise. 
Port Elizabeth may be regarded as the civic pioneer 
of the game in Cape Colony ; under the auspices of 
its club and on its courts the championships of South 
Africa were contested up to 1899, when lawn tennis 
had spread throughout the Colony with remarkable 
animation. Until the early nineties volleying was 
practically unknown and the appearance of Mr. L. A. 
Richardson, a stranger from the Orange Free State, 
armed with the new weapon of attack, created a 
sensation at Port Elizabeth where he easily won 
the title. As a result the standard of play in all 
the chief cities underwent a marked improvement ; 
as in England a decade earlier the "pat-ball" era 
came to a welcome end. Prior to the Boer War, 
which temporarily checked the expansion of lawn 
tennis, the clubs in the Western Province had formed 
an association and had organised inter-club matches 
with marked success. When peace was declared other 
colonies and provinces followed this example, notably 
the Transvaal which had its headquarters in Johannes- 
burg ; and subsequently the South African Union as 
the supreme governing body was established with 
representatives on its council from eight affiliated 
associations. Under the zealous presidency of Mr. 
H. J. Lamb, the Union has stimulated the game in 
such measure that on the Rand alone there are now 
300 courts. Each association has its annual open 



LAWN TENNIS IN OTHER LANDS 45 

tournament and the Union arranges the South African 
championships, held rotatively in the larger cities. 

Canada, however, has considerable leeway to 
make up. Though the proximity of the Dominion 
to the United States would lead one to expect the 
same catholic interest, development has been handi- 
capped by the national claims of lacrosse and the 
lack of good courts. But the formation of a new 
club at Montreal with twelve grass courts, owned 
by the members, is a sign of further awakening and 
other indications are not absent to show that Canada 
is increasing her lawn tennis votaries every year. 
The same may be said of India, where the native is 
numbered among the elect. 

Nearer home the spread of the game has been 
phenomenal. I can speak to some extent from 
personal experience because I have visited most of 
the principal tennis centres in Germany, France, 
Holland, Sweden and Spain. Clubs, equipped with 
the most up-to-date appointments, efficiently managed, 
with excellent courts and a large membership, are 
to be found in all directions. No sooner does the 
membership of one club exceed reasonable limits and 
the accommodation of the courts prove inadequate 
than a new one is started in the neighbourhood. In 
Germany this growth has been perhaps most marked. 
Roughly speaking, it is estimated there are now 1400 
courts in the Fatherland, of which nearly half belong 
to clubs affiliated to the German Lawn Tennis 
Association. It is almost inconceivable that in 
Hamburg alone there should now be something like 
800 players of both sexes. For the propagation of 
the pastime in this city chief credit must be given 



46 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

to Mr. C. A. Von der Meden, the father of German 
lawn tennis, and the founder of the first club — Eisbahn 
und Lawn-Tennis Verein auf der Uhlenhorst — in 
1888. No more zealous and enterprising captain 
has ever been at the helm of a ship. The two 
largest clubs in Hamburg command sixty hard courts 
between them and there are many other smaller 
clubs. The government of the game in the district 
is vested in the Hamburg Lawn Tennis Guild, which 
holds a tournament every spring and autumn, the 
latter being the international gathering. It was at 
this meeting last August that Germany won national 
independence in the world of lawn tennis ; her leading 
player, Otto Froitzheim, won the national title and 
broke the chain of foreign successes that had extended 
for ten years. This achievement, rendered more 
memorable by another triumph at Homburg a fort- 
night later,^ has not only brought Froitzheim at 
one bound into the front rank but has inspired 
hope in the Fatherland that Germany may soon 
put a team into the field that can compete on 
level terms with that of any other nation. Cer- 
tainly the country has a supply of young players 
that any land might envy ; at present, perhaps, 
lacking generalship and experience, but equipped 
with good style, variety of stroke and abundant 
zeal. 

Almost as many open tournaments are now held 
in Germany as in England. Of these Hamburg, 
Homburg, Wiesbaden, Baden-Baden and Berlin are 
the chief and yield the highest-class play. The 

1 Froitzheim beat A. F. Wilding by three sets to love in the final of 
the Homburg Cup. 



LAWN TENNIS IN OTHER LANDS 47 

meeting at Homburg has attractive features un- 
excelled at any I have visited ; and quite apart from 
the tennis, which is most capably organised and 
attracts a fashionable assembly, I commend to the 
tennis tourist a sojourn at this delectable resort. He 
will find the early-morning promenade to the springs 
(which he will observe rather than taste) valuable train- 
ing ; the incomparable music in the Kurhaus gardens 
at night will soothe his nerves wrought by strenuous 
match-play ; and the dinner-parties at the sumptuous 
hotels will do him no harm if he is abstemious. The 
bijou golf course close at hand in the Park may 
appeal to him while the courts are drying, as they 
sometimes must after a particularly heavy rain — a 
shower or two never causes delay. I advise him not 
to be lured into testing the virtues of the Gordon- 
Bennet motor race-course just before an important 
match. My friend, Mr. O'Hara Murray, once drove 
me at a breathless speed over part of this famous 
route. I think we must have covered the journey 
from Saalburg to Homburg at something like seventy 
miles per hour. It was a fine test for the racing 
capacities of the motor, but a bad preliminary for 
an exacting five-set double. Baden-Baden is five 
hours' railway journey from Homburg, and though 
the climate in August is somewhat enervating the 
courts are ideally situated — -indeed the whole place 
is set among arboreal charms, picturesque hills and 
sparkling streams. Wiesbaden has its tournament 
in May and its ''gallery" is remarkable alike for its 
size and its enthusiasm — as many as two thousand 
spectators have surrounded the courts at one time. 
The Turnier Club in Berlin, crowded with members 



48 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

has recently demonstrated its progress by moving to 
a more capacious ground. 

Austria is a land of rich promise so far as lawn 
tennis is concerned. The Austrians are ready pupils 
and many begin to play almost in pinafores. Some 
idea of the standard may be gathered from the fact 
that the six best Austrians would easily defeat an 
average Oxford or Cambridge team. Vienna and 
Prague are the two principal centres. In the capital 
of Bohemia, the valley-city of spires and bridges, two 
open tournaments are held annually, that promoted 
by the Czech Club, held on a charming island in the 
Moldau, having a strong international flavoun The 
entries last year were so numerous — one hundred and 
fifty in the handicap singles — that three classes were 
necessary. Vienna is splendidly equipped with clubs. 
The two most important — known as the Athletic and 
Bicycling Clubs, though lawn tennis is the chief 
concern of each — are situated in the Prater, the Hyde 
Park of Vienna, and the big annual tournament where 
hospitality will be showered upon the visitor is held 
alternately at each. Vienna is not yet ahead of 
Prague in the quality of its players, though it claims 
the two brightest stars in the country, one of whom, 
C. Von Wesseley, is in the front rank of Continental 
exponents and given more prudence and experience 
is destined to rise to eminence. Marienbad, Austria's 
most fashionable watering-place, the scene of King 
Edward's annual cure, holds a delightful tournament 
in August. The courts are situated in a magnificent 
forest of firs near to the Waldguella and owe their 
inception to the generous enterprise of Count Broel- 
Plater, who, first constructing one court for his 




PRINCE AND PRINCESS BATTHYANY STRATTMANN 



LAWN TENNIS IN OTHER LANDS 49 

private use, was led by the interest his venture excited 
and the increasing flow of players, to make two 
others and eventually to add five more and erect a 
luxurious club-house. Over five hundred matches 
were contested at the Marienbad tournament last 
year. The succeeding meetings at Franzensbad and 
Carlsbad are also well patronised. 

Lawn tennis flourishes in the smaller Austrian 
towns in a remarkable degree. Mr. A. F. Wilding 
relates that when making a motor-cycle tour through 
Bohemia he encountered signs of its existence in 
many places. '' While lunching at a hotel in Pilsen 
a local doctor recognised me and armed with the 
head waiter as interpreter pressed me to stay and 
play him a match on his club courts which he assured 
me were very good. At a small country town named 
Pisek, when stopping in the road to fill my petrol 
tank, a tall lanky youth, who had an old racket under 
his arm, informed the assembled crowd that I was 
*' Herr Vilding the Australien ! " When passing along 
the shores of the Balaton, a big lake in the heart 
of Hungary, I was amazed by the number of courts 
I saw. Almost every villa with any pretensions to 
size possessed one. 

Prince Batthyany Strattmann, by birth a 
Hungarian and by education an Englishman, has 
done much to foster the game abroad and is a 
conspicuous figure with the Princess at many of the 
principal tournaments. Years ago he was a champion 
of real tennis and won several prizes in Vienna and 
Paris. He is now well known as a yachtsman and 
among other successes captured the Queen's Prize 
with King Edward on board his yacht. The Prince 



so THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

has one of the best hard courts in the world at his 
castle at Kormend and has built another for the use 
of the townspeople in the adjoining park. Another 
pioneer and generous patron of the game in Austria 
is Prince Raoul de Rohan, president of the Marienbad 
Club, who has a first-class court at his castle. Among 
others who call for mention in this connexion are 
Count Nostitz, members of whose family are very 
keen players ; Baron Ringhoffer, upon whose broad 
shoulders the management of the Prague tournament 
falls and Mr. Ebermann of Prague, who has the 
welfare of Austrian lawn tennis close at heart. 

I refer elsewhere to the popularity of lawn tennis 
in the south of France^ and at many other French 
resorts, notably at Boulogne, Le Touquet, Dieppe, 
Etretat and Dinard, besides Paris, which boasts the 
well-known Auteuil Club and the fashionable courts 
on the He de Puteaux, successful open tournaments 
are held. In Spain, where King Alfonso is now 
a zealous votary, there has been a steady propagation, 
and in Barcelona the pastime divides the spectacular 
interest of the residents with pelotta and the 
sanguinary excitements of the bull-ring. In Madrid 
and San Sebastian there are also several courts. 

Portugal has lost its leading patron by the tragic 
death of the versatile Dom Carlos. His predecessor 
on the throne. King Luiz, was also a player and there 
is one zealous votary in Lisbon, Signor William Pinto 
Basto, who has had the distinction of successively 
engaging three generations of the Portuguese royal 
family in a friendly match. For many years the late 
King had pursued the game at the Sporting Club, 

1 See Chap. XVIII. 



\ 




THE LATE KING CARLOS OF PORTUGAL IN A MIXED DOUBLE 
AT CASCAES, 1901 



LAWN TENNIS IN OTHER LANDS 51 

Cascaes, and at the Royal Tapeda Club, besides on 
the various palace courts. His Majesty had competed 
at many tournaments and appeared in the annual 
North V. South contest, as well as in the champion- 
ships. His most effective strokes were made at the 
net, one being a dangerous backhand volley across 
the court. Of the royal courts the one at the Pena, 
Cintra, is unquestionably the most noteworthy. It 
has the best gravel surface in Portugal, is irreproach- 
ably situated so far as light is concerned, and the dark 
green backgrounds are perfectly arranged. 

Another monarch who has done much to further 
the interests of the game abroad is the newly- 
enthroned King Gustav of Sweden, than whom a 
more passionate votary probably never lived. His 
active pursuit of lawn tennis as Crown Prince and 
his warm support of every club in the kingdom has 
prompted Swedes of all classes to handle the racket. 
Play is by no means confined to the short summer 
months, or to the outdoor arena. Indeed, it is in 
covered courts of which Sweden boasts more than 
any other country in the world that the higher 
qualities of the pastime have developed. Stockholm 
has now nine indoor courts, the best-known being 
the two belonging to the Crown Prince's Club in 
Idrottsparken. Constructed under the auspices of 
King Gustav, who used them regularly, they are the 
venue of the Swedish championships in May and 
have attracted many foreign rackets. Of my visit 
to Stockholm I have very pleasant and grateful 
recollections, tempered only by thoughts of the 
consistently bad weather that prevented the many 
features of this beautiful capital being adequately 



52 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

appreciated. Everybody, from the Crown Prince 
(as he then was) showered hospitality on the foreign 
visitor, and if this plenitude of good things was some- 
times embarrassing and inimical to form on court, 
it is certain that no players in a strange land have 
been more regally entertained. Well do I remember 
the lawn tennis dinner which the Prince, now King 
Gustav, gave in his own apartments at the palace 
and the dismay which crept over me when the host 
of the evening gave in turn to each of his guests the 
Swedish toast '' Skall'' Fortunately there were no 
speeches but only a ceremonial response. Another 
graceful act on the part of the Prince was the personal 
gift of a little blue-and-gold badge, inscribed with 
a crown and a pair of rackets, which makes its owner 
an honorary member of the Crown Prince's Club. 
Gothenburg, Saro, Jonkoping, and Upsala University 
are among many other centres of the game in Sweden, 
and open-air courts are to be found in Copenhagen and 
elsewhere in Denmark. But the factor of greatest 
promise in Scandinavian lawn tennis is the facilities 
offered to schoolboys to pursue the game. Nearly 
every school gymnasium in the larger Swedish towns 
now has its indoor court, and stimulated by the 
sympathy and encouragement of the newly-formed 
Swedish Association, in which the King takes a close 
personal interest, the boy-player makes rapid progress 
to the front. 

The Swiss meetings I have not yet had the good 
fortune to visit, but from all accounts the attractions 
they offer in respect to climate, picturesque environ- 
ment and surface conditions, make them an enviable 
field for the tennis tourist. The Swiss Association 




f '^ 



LAWN TENNIS IN OTHER LANDS 53 

now has fifteen open tournaments on its fixture card, 
the best known being those at St. Moritz, Ragatz, 
Chateau d'Oex, Les Avants, Lucerne and Montreux. 
English, French, Dutch and German players are not 
slow to recognise the merits of these meetings and 
each season finds the lists inflated. Indeed, it is the 
same story wherever one goes abroad — the game 
never calls in vain. 



CHAPTER IV 
THE HOLD OF THE RACKET 

The use and abuse of a standard grip — Norman Brookes' distinctive 
hold — Principles of forehand grip explained — How the Dohertys hold 
their rackets — Principles of the backhand grip — The vexed question of 
the raised thumb — What American authorities say — The grips of Miss 
Sutton and Mrs. Lambert Chambers : How they differ — Influence of 
the forefinger in special strokes — Max Decugis and the results of his 
finger manipulation — Danger of a fixed backhand grip — Proper time 
to tighten the muscles — Large handles and fancy handles 

WHEN a game has arrived at maturity, as 
lawn tennis has, the fact should imply 
among other things that a standard has 
been attained which represents the best method of 
holding the racket, just as it represents the best 
method of making the strokes. It might reasonably 
be urged that the result of an evolution passing from 
the Renshaws to Pim and Wilfred Baddeley and 
culminating in the Dohertys should provide a standard 
that might safely be recommended to the aspirant 
after championship honours. A standard, of course, 
is not to be regarded as being unalterable ; progress 
would in that case be burked. But a standard is 
inevitable, and some explanation and description of 
it is desirable, first, in order to test new methods 
when they are exhibited, and, secondly, for the 
benefit of young players who must have something 

54 



THE HOLD OF THE RACKET 55 

definite at which to aim. If such a standard is 
misunderstood, it is possible that criticism of it may- 
miss the point, and while addressing itself to what in 
all good faith it regards as the principles of the 
standard, may be really dealing with the defects of 
those who have attempted to acquire them on wrong 
methods and without understanding. As an instance 
of this one may refer to the criticism of the use of 
excessively large handles and of the unorthodox 
backhand grip — faults which do not attach to the 
standard itself, but are due to the lack of adequate 
explanation of it. 

In the accompanying illustrations of the grips of 
great players certain differences in the hold will be 
at once detected — differences which naturally evoke 
doubt in the mind of the learner anxious to acquire 
the most serviceable as well as the most fashion- 
able grip. For the purpose of education I prefer 
to take H. L. Doherty's grip as the standard, 
not because it is certain to prove suitable to every 
beginner, but because with slight modification it is 
the grip of the principal English exponents. These 
exponents may have been vanquished at times by 
colonial or foreign rivals whose grip is not in 
accordance with English canons, but it is rather, I 
think, in spite of these grips and not because of 
them that victories have been achieved. The case 
of Norman Brookes, the present champion, is a fair 
example. The famous Australian admits that he 
has a distinctive and peculiar hold of the racket — a 
self-taught grip in fact ; and while it may be conceded 
that this hold is perfectly satisfactory for his dis- 
tinctive strokes — indeed, that they would be virtually 



56 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

impossible to execute without such a grip — the 
rational instructor of lawn tennis would scarcely 
regard Brookes as a practical model. In the matter 
of cause and effect the Australians methods are 
unique. I think for practical purposes we may 
regard them as such. 

Physically speaking, there is only one grip. Its 
position may change in the backhand stroke, but 
the grip itself is the same for forehand and backhand, 
ground-strokes, volleys and service. A preliminary 
notion of the forehand grip may be obtained by 
thinking of the way one grasps a hammer, a sabre 
or an axe, and of the movement such an implement 
executes when jerked up and down while the handle 
is loosely gripped between the forefinger and the 
thumb. When the thumb and forefinger are half- 
open and parallel to one another, they form three 
sides of a long or flat rectangle. This rectangle 
just fits the handle of the racket, as if the latter were 
made for it, which as a matter of fact it is. If we 
regard the handle as a rectangle, then one short 
side fits the space between the base of the thumb 
and the base of the forefinger ; the long sides rest 
along the second phalange of the thumb and the 
third phalanges of the fingers, respectively. It is 
as if you were holding a sabre with the grip appro- 
priate to a cut, and were then to hit the object with 
the flat instead of with the edge. In the next place, 
the hand, with the thumb and all the fingers, except 
the little finger, must be sloped slightly upwards ; the 
forefinger should be a little farther up the handle 
than the thumb, in order to act as a strut or prop. 
Both thumb and fingers rest obliquely across the 





R. F. DOHERTY (ENGLAND): 
FOREHAND GRIP 



R. F. DOHERTY (ENGLAND): 
BACKHAND GRIP 





N. E. BROOKES (AUSTRALIA): 
FOREHAND GRIP 



N. E. BROOKES (AUSTRALIA): 
BACKHAND GRIP 





M. DECUGIS (FRANCE): 
FOREHAND GRIP 



M. DECUGIS (FRANCE): 
BACKHAND GRIP 



THE HOLD OF THE RACKET 57 

flat or long sides of the rectangle, while the first 
phalanges of the fingers grip the long side on which 
the thumb is placed. A rough method of fitting is 
to place the hand on the handle In such a position 
that the line which runs from between the thumb 
and forefinger to the centre of the wrist (the line of 
life) lies along the junction of the ash and mahogany. 
The heel of the hand; but not the little finger, (which 
will be almost an Inch higher), rests on the leather. 
Lastly, the whole grip may retain this position, which 
may be called the first position, or may be moved, 
(as it often is In play), about half an Inch round 
towards the back of the handle ; this may be called 
the second position. These two varieties are, roughly 
speaking, the respective grips of R. F. and H. L. 
Doherty. The second is the more usual grip. 

The backhand grip is the same as the forehand, 
but reversed. That is to say, the thumb is on the 
back of the handle, in the position corresponding to 
that of the forefinger in the forehand grip. Its 
business therefore is to act as a strut or prop, and it 
is best to place it so that its extreme point Is very 
slightly higher up the handle than the forefinger. 
The ball of the thumb will be almost entirely on 
this long side. Meanwhile the first phalanges of 
the fingers grip the short side of the handle. By 
the method of fitting by lines, the line of life lies 
along the junction of the ash and mahogany opposite 
to that Indicated for the forehand grip. It is not 
essential to have the thumb up the handle, but it is 
to be recommended, primarily because the backhand 
stroke Is rarely so hard or firm as the forehand, and 
therefore needs support and guidance. The position 



58 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

corresponds to the second position of the forehand 
grip. That corresponding to xh^ first position is not 
recommended — though sometimes one uses it in 
quick volleying — for the reason that the wrist is not 
sufficiently at the back of the handle. 

Wilfred Baddeley, a former champion whose 
views naturally claim respect, was not a believer in 
the shifted grip for the backhand stroke. "There 
is no doubt," he observes,^ ''that the second method 
comes more naturally to the beginner than the first 
one, but when the first method of gripping (the 
permanent hold) has been practised for a time and 
the player has become accustomed to it, it is every 
bit as easy and as comfortable as the second method ; 
and it has the advantage that the player who uses 
this grip will never be forced to miss a stroke, as I 
have frequently seen done, especially among inferior 
performers, through not being able to shift the 
grip quite quickly enough to meet the ball fairly." 
Baddeley denies the assertion that the failure to 
change the grip causes a loss of power in the stroke 
and imparts a twist to the ball. He says that the 
ball if properly struck will travel in precisely the 
same manner as if the racket were held in the second 
method. I am bound to say that Baddeley has the 
weight of expert opinion against him, and it is a fair 
comment to point out that his own backhand was 
never quite so formidable as his forehand. Dr. 
Dwight, the leading American authority, altered his 
view upon the subject between the time of his first 
and second books — an interval of seven years. He 
first declared that good form demanded a permanent 

1 Lawn Tennis i by W. Baddeley. 



THE HOLD OF THE RACKET 59 

hold on the handle of the racket which was not 
shifted for the backhand ; but subsequently he 
withdrew these instructions and declared that a 
fixed grip entailed much more cut on the ball than 
was advantageous. ** After considerable study/' 
says Mr. Parmly Paret/ '* I have found the best 
players shift the grip through just one quarter of a 
circle." This may be true of most American first-class 
players — especially of those employing spectacular 
strokes — but I doubt if the ''turn "is as much with 
English exponents. The fact is it would scarcely 
be politic to lay down a hard and fast rule in regard 
to fixity or movement of the grip. The standard 
in England may not be the standard in America 
and again the standard of both may differ from the 
standard in the Colonies. Personally I have not 
much belief in studied emulation of a champion's 
grip. I have seen so many good scoring shots 
made with dissimilar holds on so many courts and 
by so many different players, most of them in the 
front rank, that dogmatism on this point seems 
unwarrantable. Regard, for example, Miss Sutton's 
grip. It differs materially from that of Mrs. Lambert 
Chambers, her foremost opponent. The American 
lady holds her racket at the extreme end — in fact 
the leather knob is almost embedded in the palm of 
the hand — while the thumb, in this case exercising 
the function of a clamp, is broadside across the handle 
and is pressed against the second finger. Mrs. 
Lambert Chambers, like S. H. Smith, permits a 
distinct margin of wood to come between the heel of 
her hand and the leather, while her thumb is raised 

^ Lawn Tennis (American Sportsman's Library). 



6o THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

higher than Miss Sutton's and is not firmly ** screwed 
down." Each would assuredly tell you that she 
finds her own grip best for the execution of her own 
strokes, which differ materially from the strokes of 
her rival both in the method of striking and the 
effect which that method has on the ball. 

In fact, though the holds of champions may differ 
— and a glance at the accompanying illustrations will 
demonstrate that at once — we may accept each as a 
model of grip for executing the distinctive strokes 
which formulate their attack. The close-quarter 
backhand push-volleys with little or no preliminary 
swing that have proved such effective weapons in 
the armoury of Norman Brookes are, it may be 
avowed, best performed by holding the racket in the 
manner depicted in the illustration — for one thing, 
the slightly inclined face of the racket, which helps 
to ''deaden" the ball after it bounces, can be more 
readily maintained in its position. The modern 
English exponent as typified by the Dohertys would 
find this grip both awkward and impracticable. The 
Dohertys' backhand volley is more delicate and 
more wristy ; the body is farther away from the ball 
when the stroke is made, and there is more pre- 
liminary swing. I am not here discussing scoring 
potentialities of given strokes — what happens after 
the particular grip has done its work. I am only 
seeking to illustrate the point that the grip cannot be 
universal with lawn tennis the cosmopolitan game 
it is. 

I said just now that each champion had distinctive 
characteristics in his hold and that these peculiarities 
were concerned with the individual strokes associated 



THE HOLD OF THE RACKET 6i 

with his game. Looking at the grip of Max Ddcugis, 
the French champion, you will observe that for his 
forehand drive the forefinger is, according to the 
English standard, abnormally raised and is well up 
the handle, so much so as to convince you that its 
position must exercise a visible influence over the 
stroke. Now Decugis takes the ball at its highest 
altitude, either in a line with or just below the 
shoulder. His racket is descending briskly at the 
moment of impact, thereby imparting that lift to the 
ball which is such an effective feature of the French- 
man's attack. Decugis, a natural player if there ever 
was one, finds that this raised forefinger tends to 
promote greater control and ensure a more accurate 
aim. His forehand and service grip is very similar 
to that of the late H. S. Mahony, and it was, I think, 
because of this raised finger that the Irishman, hitting 
the ball not as Decugis does at the top but nearer the 
middle of its bound, had a comparatively weak fore- 
hand drive. 

This brings me to another point which would 
seem to confirm the desirability of a slight — in some 
cases it is almost an unconscious — change of grip 
for the backhand. There are players who have so 
cultivated their backhand, using it even in positions 
where the forehand would more effectually yield a 
winning ace, that when necessity requires them to 
execute a forehand stroke the result is far from 
satisfactory. On close examination of their hold 
they will probably find that the backhand grip, in this 
case a fixed grip, is being used for the forehand 
stroke ; that is to say, the thumb has not been shifted 
with the consequent slight turn of the racket's head. 



62 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

The result is frequently an incomplete follow- through 
and a lack of adequate length. Conversely, the same 
reflection applies to the predominating forehand 
stroke and its influence on the grip for the back- 
hand stroke. But though I believe that this matter 
is worth the attention of the student I am yet uncon- 
vinced that the precise position of either the thumb 
or the forefinger on the handle of the racket is a 
factor which makes or mars a player. The more one 
considers the standard English strokes as performed 
by the Dohertys, the more is it made clear that the 
grasping of the racket is performed with the second, 
third and little fingers and that the thumb and 
forefinger, like the whole of the right hand in the 
golfer's grip, are auxiliary directing agencies. 

The grip should not be very tight until the 
moment before the ball is struck. At that moment 
the muscles brace up unconsciously. If they are 
consciously tightened all the time the arm and hand 
quickly tire and when you hit the ball your grip is 
apt to give. This saving of the muscles is particul- 
arly easy in the service. Continuous tightening of 
the muscles has another result — it prevents a full 
swing back, as may well be seen in the service, and 
thus a feeble follow-through completes an ineffective 
stroke. The Japanese tell us that in Jiu-jitsu the 
grip should be quite loose till the instant when the 
movement is executed. 

Lastly, I would counsel beginners never to use a 
handle too large for the fingers to work easily. The 
circumference at the extreme end, just above the 
leather, should be from 5f to 5 J inches, being reduced 
to 5 inches half a foot higher up. A proper use of 



THE HOLD OF THE RACKET 63 

the first joints of the first three fingers is important 
for giving those finer touches and last directions to 
the behaviour of the ball, and these are best secured 
by using a handle that admits a full hold. Avoid, 
too, the ** fancy " handle. Many years ago one came 
out which had cavities for three separate grips, graded 
for various strokes. For a few sets it was regarded 
with the mingled awe and curiosity which a daring 
innovation inspires. But when its impracticability 
and finally its impotency were established the owner 
beat a hasty retreat, returning into court next day 
with a more orthodox, if less ornamental, weapon. 



CHAPTER V 
DRIVING : FOREHAND AND BACKHAND 

Learning the strokes — First essentials — Evolution of the forehand 
drive — The forehand drive considered in detail — The parts played by 
the wrist and the elbow — How the racket should be swung back — 
Hitting the ball — The follow-through — Fundamental principles of the 
stroke — The essential factor in timing — How to acquire certainty and 
mechanical accuracy — Application of weight and its effects — The value 
of the big stride — Why a chop cannot be a drive — Top or over-spin 
— The so-called lifting-drive and how it may be acquired — Half- 
court shots — The backhand drive — Some advice to beginners — Final 
instructions 

HAVING mastered, or at any rate compre- 
hended the principles and functions of 
the grip, the beginner may turn to a study 
of the strokes. One may insist upon the importance 
of attending to the strokes and acquiring a certain 
degree of facility in them as played in the best style 
before games are attempted. They are the founda- 
tion, and some approach to mastery of them, or at 
least some certainty of execution, must be attained 
before the player can profitably concentrate his atten- 
tion on tactics and the winning of matches. Many 
a player is still, after long apprenticeship, under the 
impression that in order to improve he must play 
against better men until he beats them. This is all 

right if the strokes are each and all perfect in some 

64 



DRIVING: FOREHAND AND BACKHAND 65 

degree ; but as a rule they are neglected. Accord- 
ingly the player actually fails to improve simply 
because the desire to win and the attention that must 
be given to strategy are so engrossing that the bad 
habits with which he began become too deeply rooted 
for correction. The beginner should also be told, as 
he is told in other games, that when he has learnt 
the standard style of stroke, he may give his individu- 
ality full play, and, if inclined to do so, may modify 
the standard — but the standard must be learnt first. 

The explanations of the strokes which have been 
given in books are usually far too condensed and 
illustrate merely the surface-appearance of a stroke. 
The beginner is told, for instance, to take the ball 
at the top of the bound. It seems a simple thing to 
do, until he tries it. But unless he is told more or 
lights on the right track himself, he will generally fail 
to acquire a method by which the result becomes 
habitual and safe. The same drawback belongs 
perhaps to the study of photographs of the strokes, 
and in a less degree to the watching of first-class 
players while actually executing them. This latter 
study is absolutely necessary, but is of little practical 
value unless one knows or can think out just what 
the player is doing and how he does it. And this is 
precisely what one cannot know or even see with the 
eye, until one has grasped the rationale of the move- 
ments. It is the same in every game, and may be 
illustrated from conjuring. When watching a con- 
juror you do not actually see what he does, only the 
surface of the result, only what he wants you to see. 
Many surface results in lawn tennis are similarly mis- 
leading ; for example, when a player puts over-spin 
5 



66 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

or top on a ball, he appears to hit It on the top. As 
a matter of fact he hits it on the bottom. 

In the evolution of the forehand drive, the master- 
stroke of the game, three stages may be distinguished, 
which the learner is recommended himself to follow 
in his education. In the earliest, the main portion 
of the work, exclusive of some inevitable movement 
of arm and shoulder, was done by the wrist. This 
joint was used as a pivot, on which the hand and the 
racket moved. In the second stage, the main portion 
of the work was done by the wrist and the forearm. 
In the final stage, the work is done by the whole 
lever, wrist, arm and shoulder each performs its 
share. To these must be added the fingers. It 
must not be supposed, however, that the shoulder, 
the last factor to appear, does the main portion ; it 
puts weight and steadiness into the stroke and 
relieves the muscles of the elbow and wrist. Again, 
it is obvious that for certain shots (which may be 
called half and three-quarter shots), the first two 
stages — the wrist-stroke and the arm -stroke — are 
inevitable and invaluable. In delicate strokes the 
fingers, guiding the wrist, are the controlling factor. 

We now take in detail the various parts of the 
standard stroke for the forehand and the backhand 
drives, and suggest a practical method of getting the 
whole thing mechanically perfect. 

Both in the forehand and the backhand drive the 
hand should be bent back, so that the wrist is more 
or less rigid (see Plate I.). It may prevent misunder- 
standing, If I state at once that this rigidity is intended 
not to make the stroke wooden, but to secure two 
most important results. It is intended not only to 



DRIVING : FOREHAND AND BACKHAND 6j 

ensure firmness and consequently to lessen fatigue, 
but also to promote elasticity, just as it is necessary 
to compress a spring in order that it may recoil. 
With regard to the elbow, in one form of the fore- 
hand stroke it is bent, and moves close to and almost 
touching the player's side. In the other form, as 
developed by S. H. Smith and A. W. Gore, the 
arm is more or less at full stretch. For the backhand 
the shorter stroke, with the elbow at the side, is much 
the better ; it is also to be preferred for the forehand, 
being safer than, though not so strong as the longer 
stroke. In the follow-through the arm must be fully 
extended. In the next place, the elbow should be 
kept down ; there is in fact, no tendency to raise it, 
except in the lifting-drive. 

It will be well to study this point a little more 
closely. Keeping the elbow down assists the final 
upward movement of the racket in the follow-through 
(as may be seen from Plate II.), which shows that the 
ball has been lifted correctly. But a more important 
reason is to be found in the fact that the rigidity of 
wrist and elbow — that is to say, the lowered posi- 
tion of the latter — makes the curve of the arm and 
racket almost convex to the ball. The advantage of 
this is that the lever which performs the work, does 
not give in any of its joints, and, secondly, that the 
wrist and forearm, thus guaranteed against moving 
back, move at or after impact forward with the pent- 
up force as it were of a released spring, and, thirdly, 
that the muscles of the wrist and elbow are relieved 
by a sort of forced inaction, until they are needed, 
and that thus the shoulder more easily comes into play. 

In the backhand drive, however, the elbow should 



68 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

not be kept down, nor should any conscious attempt 
be made to manipulate its position. This is necessi- 
tated by the anatomical structure of the arm, which on 
the backhand is indeed convex to the ball but has its 
central joint turned in the opposite direction to that 
in which it points in the forehand. In the follow- 
through the arm will be extended enough. It will be 
seen that the principle of the position of the elbow is 
really the same in both forehand and backhand drives. 

The sideways position for the forehand drive, with 
the left foot advanced and the right a little to the right 
of a line parallel to the stroke and passing through the 
left foot, is universally understood. It may be pointed 
out, however, that, the stroke being a side-stroke, it 
is not necessary or advisable to have the left foot 
pointed straight in the direction of the stroke. It 
should be nearly so but not quite. This may be seen 
in almost all the photographs here reproduced. 

The absolute tyro, instead of trying to master 
the whole stroke at once, may begin with wrist and 
arm-work, leaving the shoulder and other factors till 
later. He should notice to begin with, that the 
standard drive is a horizontal stroke, the ball being 
taken at or about the height of the waist and the 
racket being more or less parallel to the ground. It 
is a good plan to go on a court alone, stand a fair 
distance from the net and throw balls up, hitting 
them when the bound is at a convenient height. 
After some practice of this sort, you may get some 
one to hit balls to you. 

A preliminary notion of the movement of the 
complete stroke may be obtained by comparing the 
drive at golf. The lawn tennis stroke is, of course, 




PLATE III. MRS. LAMBERT CHAMBERS (ENGLAND): BEGINNING OF 
FOREHAND DRIVE 



DRIVING : FOREHAND AND BACKHAND 6g 

not so near the vertical, the ball being from three to 
four feet up in the air. The forward swing of the 
racket describes the lower half of an ellipse ; it comes 
down, striking the ball at about the lowest point of 
the swing, and rises in the follow-through, much in 
the same way (though the curve is straighter) as a 
golf-club. Before this forward movement begins, the 
racket has to be swung back, and here a practice 
which has an analogy in golf is useful for the learner. 
It may be described as '' measuring " the stroke, or 
"addressing" the ball, just before the racket is swung 
back behind the shoulder. You wait for the ball to 
bounce, resting the shoulder of the racket in the left 
hand, with its head pointing not so much across the 
body as towards the net. Then, just before the ball 
reaches the ground, release the racket from the left 
hand, and point it obliquely forward to the ball. 
This gives you the range as it were. It is useful to 
have a fixed time at which to commence the swing- 
back. Such a time, varying of course with the pace 
both of the stroke received and of the ground, is 
the moment when the ball bounces. The swing-back 
must on no account be hurried. The racket should 
rise slightly, above the line in which the stroke will 
be made (see Plate III.). 

The ball itself has now to be dealt with. It is 
when the racket meets it, that the real difficulties 
begin. The swing-forward should be firm and slow 
rather than fast. It is a mistake to suppose that a 
very rapid stroke produces a rapid drive ; this is 
effected by body-weight and by timing. A steady 
and slow swing-forward prevents that ''snapping" at 
the ball which is one of the worst faults a beginner 



JO THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

can form. The ball should be hit as clean as possible, 
without chop, undercut, top-spin or side. From first 
to last, that is till the moment of striking, the eye 
must be concentrated on the ball. It is helpful to 
bend the head down towards the ball. In the 
next place the ball has to be controlled, in order to 
get it over the net, inside the court, and to the place 
where you wish it to go. Many factors combine to give 
this command ; the steadiness of wrist and elbow, the 
timing of the stroke, the position of the striker ; but 
it is the fingers and the wrist that chiefly, or at least 
finally, control the ball. Practice alone leads to this 
result ; when you can feel the ball, as a rider feels 
his horse's mouth, you may know that the secret is 
in your grasp. 

The stroke must not be checked for the fraction 
of a second. Properly speaking, the follow-through 
does not influence the ball at all, it is a result, not a 
cause. It is probable that even with the most 
thorough follow-through the gut does not touch the 
ball for more than a fraction of a second. A golf- 
club it has been calculated, touches the ball in 
the drive for yoVirth of a second. ^ What a firm 
and complete follow-through does imply is that 
the ball has been correctly and adequately controlled. 
With this is connected the fact that the stroke, though 
primarily a hit, has also the characteristics of a sweep 
and a push, and it is this virtue which enables you to 
steer the ball, to obtain certainty, and even to alter 
its course at the last moment. At the end of the 
follow-through the head of the racket will be more 
or less across the body, more so for a cross-court and 

^ Professor Tait. 



^^ 



e 





Q 



. o 



DRIVING: FOREHAND AND BACKHAND 71 

less so for a side-line shot, and as before stated it 
will rise (see Plates IV. and V.). The path of the 
racket may be roughly represented by a curve, 



B 





A being the commencement of the swing-forward 
and B the end of the follow-through. When a ball 
is higher than the waist, this curve will be bent, B 
will be lower and A higher, that is to say, the player 
must hit downwards. In Plates VI. and VII. the 
ball is hit thus ; the position of the racket is due to 
this and not to the application of top-spin. The rise 
at the end of the follow-through shows that the ball 
has received its correct height and length. The 
habit of using the shoulder, bringing it forward a 
moment later than the arm, not with the arm, is very 
important, but may be deferred till later. 

Such briefly may stand for elementary explanation 
and instruction in the forehand drive, but it is quite 
possible for a man to play for years and never develop 
out of these elements the cardinal principles of the 
stroke. They are of paramount importance, and it 
is their acquisition alone, whether it be conscious or 
unconscious, that brings the stroke up to a first-class 
standard. 

In the first place there is the question of distance 
from the ball. One is generally told, quite rightly, 
to keep well away from the ball, but one does not 
always understand whether this refers both to length- 
ways and to sideways distance, nor why it is necessary, 



72 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

nor, lastly, what distance is best. The advice refers 
to sideways distance alone. The reasons for it are, 
firstly, to get the ball at the top of the bound, — it 
follows if the ball bounds low or if one takes it near 
the end of the bound, one must be proportionately 
nearer to it ; secondly, to ensure that the arm and 
wrist shall be in the correct position at the moment of 
striking. For strokes at or above the height of the 
shoulder one must of course be a little nearer to the 
ball, just as for a low bound. The best distance to 
aim at is, for the shorter stroke, about two feet, for 
the longer, about three feet from the shoulder, for a 
ball of average bound. 

In the next place, the beginner may be told how 
essential it is to time the stroke and to take the ball 
at the top of the bound. But he wants to know how 
to effect this ; at least he ought to, for the method is 
not perfectly obvious at first. Timing the ball Is the 
result of many factors, the chief of which will be 
described In the next paragraph. The secret of 
getting the ball at top of the bound is this : your 
distance lengthways from the point where the ball 
hits the ground should be relatively short ; the 
nearer up you are, in reason, the better. Therefore, 
get near the ball. The distance depends entirely on 
the speed of the stroke and the speed of the ground. 
The whole position, lengthways and sideways, should 
be such that the ball is still rising as It comes opposite 
your body, and is at the top of Its bound as It passes 
your body and until opposite your right foot and 
shoulder. 

The last detail brings us to the chief factor in 
timing the ball, and absolutely the most vital secret 



DRIVING: FOREHAND AND BACKHAND 73 

of hard hitting, use of body-weight and general 
excellence in the forehand drive. It applies less to 
the backhand drive, for in this the arm has little 
power when not somewhat forward. The point is 
this : wait for the ball. Do not take it until it is 
opposite your right foot or shoulder, or at least the 
centre of your body. The beginner may do this 
waiting while pausing after the swing-back, and then 
as the ball comes up to a point opposite his shoulder, 
make a second and short swing-back before he comes 
down on it. To put the matter proverbially, it is far 
better to take the ball behind your shoulder than in 
front of your body. Hit the ball at the last possible 
moment. 

It is astonishing how few players realise this 
important principle, which, by the way, applies also 
to the service and the smash. It is in the fitness of 
things that those who do practise it in the forehand 
drive are in the very front rank of players. The 
opposite tendency, not waiting till the ball comes up 
to the racket, is one which, if encouraged, (and it is 
easy to misinterpret such advice as '' get quickly on 
to the ball," in this way), is one which absolutely 
checks progress and disheartens many a beginner. 
The curious but natural thing is, that the more 
anxious one is to do one's duty by the ball, the more 
forward one is apt to get to it. The result is that 
you hit the ball at a point far in advance of the 
centre of your force and weight. Other results are 
nervousness, checked strokes and poky shots, varied 
by cases where you have got your weight so far 
forward that the stroke seems all right. Exactly the 
same tendency is seen in some nervous batsmen, who 



74 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

play forward to everything, and get more and more 
forward till the inevitable catch is given and taken. 
By way of comparison it is worth noting that this 
principle is well seen in association football. To 
execute a shot at goal with all your weight, it is 
necessary to delay the kick until the ball is between 
your feet. 

The rule then is — get as near up to the ball as 
possible and then wait for it. Don't hit till the very 
last moment. This is the essential factor in timing 
the ball, and is one secret of S. H. Smith's great 
drives, which, you may observe, are not executed 
with any excessive force or rapidity of arm-movement 
— in fact to a tyro the speed of the ball seems rather 
miraculous when compared with the movement which 
produces It. As you progress in accuracy, you may 
take the ball earlier still, well before the top of the 
bound. The difference this makes in time is remark- 
able ; your return hits the ground before your 
opponent realises that your racket has hit the ball. 
Variety in the speed with which you get on to the 
ball should also be cultivated ; nothing is so discon- 
certing to an opponent. This, by the way, Is one of 
the facts which make the perfect ground-stroke player 
more formidable than the perfect volleyer. 

To get this double position right, requires eye, 
judgment, and practice ; but it depends more than 
dinythmg on your fee L As is the casein most ball- 
games, the feet are as important as the hands ; it Is 
not so much the stroke itself that Is difficult, as the 
getting into the correct position to make it. Good 
lawn tennis players are generally good dancers and 
often good figure-skaters. 




PLATE VII I. M. DECUGIS (FRANCE): FINISH OF BACKHAND DRIVE 




PLATE IX. R. F. DOHERTY (ENCLAND): BEtilNNlNG OF LOW 
BACKHAND DRIVE 



DRIVING: FOREHAND AND BACKHAND 75 

The next two principles are perhaps more 
important still, for the learner is recommended gener- 
ally to cultivate a good swing. Now this advice is, 
for the forehand stroke, a case of putting the cart 
before the horse. Anyone can swing a racket, but 
it is not anyone who can hit a ball. Learn to strike 
the ball with accuracy and to control it with firmness 
before you think of developing your natural swing 
into a complete and artistic performance. The 
danger, of course, is that the learner is apt to think 
that a fine swing is more important than it really is, 
but the swing is the least essential part of the stroke. 
The observant beginner may, we will suppose, watch 
E. R. Allen or J. M. Boucher executing their incom- 
parable forehand drives. He notices to his surprise 
that these players hardly seem to swing back at all, 
and infers, wrongly of course, that the deadly and 
mechanical certainty of these drives is in spite of the 
absence of swing. It is as a matter of fact due to 
the absence of swing. 

Now the principle thus suggested by this instance 
is that the swing must not be carried too far back, 
or that there must be a pause before the racket moves 
forward to the ball. When ready to do so, swing 
the racket back and upwards to a point slightly 
behind the shoulder for ordinary strokes, and then 
hold the racket steady for a moment or two until the 
ball comes up to it. It is this slight pause and this 
alone, that by the steadying and measuring of the 
stroke, gives a forehand drive its certainty and 
mechanical accuracy. It is not too much to say that 
it is the ultimate secret of the stroke. In order to 
learn the principle it is well even to exaggerate it, 



'je THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

and after swinging as far as the shoulder only, to 
keep the racket stationary until the ball is almost on 
it, and then press the racket on to the ball. You 
may now dispense with the ordinary method of 
addressing the ball, as given in the elementary 
instructions, and use this pause for the same purpose 
(see Plate L). When familiarised with the idea 
and its execution, you may swing farther back, 
behind the shoulder after the pause, and move 
straight forward to the ball from this second swing- 
back. Those experts who swing well back and come 
forward in what is apparently one movement, still 
employ this pause, though it is concealed. The 
common sense of the principle is obvious ; it is to 
ensure that the arm and racket are steady and 
in the correct plane, and that the stroke is thoroughly 
judged and measured before the racket moves 
forward to strike. 

The beginner will soon find, if he works on this 
method, that his follow-through is greatly improved. 
As already observed, the importance of the follow- 
through consists in the fact that it is the result of the 
way in which the ball has been hit and controlled. 
In the method advocated above, the pent-up force 
which might have been wasted in a big swing-back, 
is thus concentrated on the stroke itself, and the 
follow-through is firm and satisfactory. After a well 
executed stroke one feels the ball to the very end of 
the follow-through, and it is the last moment of this 
which seems to do everything, as is also the case in 
the American service. 

The other cardinal principle concerns the method 
by which weight is put into the stroke. This is 



DRIVING: FOREHAND AND BACKHAND yj 

chiefly effected by bringing the shoulder forward at 
the stroke and into the follow-through, and, second- 
arily, by using the general weight of the body, or, to 
put it in another way, the weight of the left side. 
Now the principle is this : neither the weight of the 
right side of the body, worked from the shoulder, nor 
that of the left side, founded on the left leg and foot, 
can be effectively brought into the stroke and, what 
is more important, brought into it without causing 
oscillation and disturbance of steadiness, unless the 
weight of the left side of the body is already forward 
and stationary, before the ball is struck (see Plates 
VIII. and I X. ). The left foot should be planted firmly 
with the knee slightly bent and the weight of the 
body resting on it, before you swing back, or at any 
rate before you swing forward. 

The advice sometimes given that the weight 
should be on the right foot at the beginning of the 
stroke and then transferred to the left at the moment 
of striking, is quite mistaken. There are some real 
analogies between the strokes of golf and lawn tennis, 
and every golfer knows that to rest the weight on 
the right foot at the beginning of the stroke and then 
transfer it, is the worst of bad habits. The rule is 
that the centre of gravity must not be altered at all 
during the actual stroke. 

This principle, so essential for a strong and steady 
drive, is perfectly illustrated by S. H. Smith and A. 
W. Gore. Mr. Paret^ has observed that H. L. 
Doherty seems to put all his weight into his drive 
after hitting the ball. This states the case correctly 
enough for practical purposes, for what is really 
1 Lawn Tennis (American Sportsman's Library). 



78 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

implied is a firm follow-through, in which every 
ounce of weight tells because it is properly distributed, 
some of it being already forward. The left-side 
weight is, as it were, waiting until the right-side 
weight joins it at the impact of racket and ball. 
There they meet and combine forces. 

One or two final details may now be put together. 
For hard hitting it is necessary to take a big stride, 
and to plant the feet as far apart as possible. This 
is well illustrated in Plates IV. V. and X. Max 
Decugis is shewn almost on the run ; in this case of 
course one does not plant one's self in a stationary 
manner, but the principle is there all the same. 
From these photographs the reader will gather some 
further details, such as the bending of the knees, 
which are often straightened at the supreme moment 
of the stroke (see Plates XI. and XII.). Noticeable 
also is the variety shewn in the bending forward of 
the body. H. L. Doherty (Plate V.) bends forward 
very little. Gore (Plate VI.) and Decugis (Plate X.), 
as far as a fencer in his lunge. The farther forward, 
other things being equal, the greater the pace of the 
drive. 

Again just as a player of the older game of tennis 
keeps the face of the racket ''open," that is, with the 
upper edge of the frame bent back at a slight angle, 
and just as the face of a golf club is slightly set 
back, so in lawn tennis, with the necessary limitations. 
For a low bound or low volley the racket should be 
fairly open ; for a bound about the height of the waist 
either open or square ; for one that is higher, the 
racket, on the contrary, should be inclined forward or 
over, as the ball must be hit downwards. But even 




PLATE XL A. F. WILDING (NEW ZEALAND): MIDDLE OF 
LIFTING DRIVE 



DRIVING: FOREHAND AND BACKHAND 79 

in the last case some players meet the ball with a 
slightly glancing blow, almost a slice downwards 
(see Plates III. and XIII.). Where possible the 
square face is to be preferred. The mechanical 
advantages of the open face are, first, that, according 
to the law of the angles of incidence and reflection, 
the ball is raised so as to get over the net and attain 
the desired length ; secondly, the open face is a 
preliminary position for obtaining control of the ball. 
The second point may be illustrated by the very 
simple and complete form of control which a cricketer 
exercises when catching the ball ; he holds his hand 
or hands open in order that he may close them. The 
surface of a racket has not the closing powers of the 
hand, but the principle involved is the same. The 
racket is held open in order that it may be closed, 
and the result is control. 

But there is more than this in the subject of 
control of the ball. The tyro when he meets a first- 
class player will notice that his most ordinary drives 
*'do" a great deal. Just as a good bowler always 
has some *' stuff" on the ball, even though it may not 
spin, so it is with a first-class lawn tennis stroke. It 
is a well known fact «that any projectile is most 
effectively and more directly driven if there is spin on 
it. The spin produced by the rifling of a gun carries 
the bullet straighter and farther. The learner must 
not however suppose that spin is recommended for 
the standard stroke ; what is implied is that in it 
there is a more or less natural spin, not complete as 
in the lifting-drive, due to the manner of its execution. 
The spin must be forward or sideways, or a combina- 
tion of these, backward spin checks the ball. This 



8o THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

last point is the reason why a chop cannot be a drive. 
The natural spin of the forehand drive is sideways, 
simply because it is impossible to hit out away from 
the body, and therefore there is a tendency, however 
slight, to bring the racket in. When the ball feels 
rather out of control, this spin may be emphasized by 
consciously drawing the racket across towards the 
body. It is worth while pointing out here that in 
making any stroke producing rotation, whether a 
drive, a cross-volley or a service, the plane of the 
path of the racket across the ball is not curved, but 
straight. When the face of the racket turns over, or 
when it rises in the follow-through, the inexperienced 
may fancy that the blow was curved, but it is merely 
an optical illusion. 

A drive may be hit with extra force by this 
drawing of the racket in towards your body ; the 
horizontal spin from right to left, not only keeps the 
ball in court, but lifts it so as to clear the net. This 
is well shown by A. W. Gore. In his case one can 
see how the bent-back wrist with the consequent 
deflection of the face of the racket helps to produce 
this spin. 

Returning to the open face, we may notice that if 
a drive is begun by slightly glancing the racket 
downwards as the ball is met, less force is required in 
the hit ; it is useful to vary the clean hit with this 
deflection especially in the case of high -bounding 
balls. 

Another way of commencing control of the ball is 
to meet it with the upper edge of the racket slightly 
bent forward ; then just before the moment of impact 
the head of the racket moves in a little semi-circle 




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DRIVING: FOREHAND AND BACKHAND 8i 

backwards and downwards, and so straight on to the 
ball. This movement may be seen in E. R. Allen's 
forehand drive. Some players, as for instance, 
Ritchie and G. W. Hillyard, whose drive is hit very 
clean with a straight-faced racket, come round the 
ball slightly, the movement being the exact opposite 
of that which results when the wrist is kept well back. 
The wrist i)rings the racket forward and round the 
ball, as if embracing it. This is easier if the elbow 
is bent. 

Putting top on the ball, by turning the racket 
over in the second half of the impact, is for practical 
purposes an exception to the law of the straight plane. 
It is a case of closing the open face, and the result is 
that the ball is put well away, running and dropping 
more quickly. It is not so frequently necessary as in 
the backhand drive. It- is chiefly useful in forehand 
drives of good length across the court, and down the 
opponent's forehand line. But even for these two 
directions, a hard-hit clean stroke is more effective ; 
such a drive can be hit almost with the full strength, 
especially if the racket is brought well across the 
body in the follow-through. Ordinary top is of little 
practical use except in hard backhand drives across 
the court. The old Irish drive was of this nature, a 
forehand stroke taken low with top applied after 
impact. It is easy to make when on the run, as W. J. 
Hamilton used to do ; but on hard courts and off a 
severe stroke it is of little use, especially against a 
volleyer who knows his business. 

One form of drive depends on exaggerated top or 
over-spin. This is the so-called lifting-drive. It is 
well executed by A. F. Wilding (Plate XI.) who 
6 



82 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

probably plays it in the way best adapted to bring 
out its advantages, namely, by not subordinating 
straightness and force to rotation. C. Hobart and 
Miss Sutton (Plate XV.) use the stroke, the latter 
employing a grip which increases the spin. This 
grip is still further exaggerated by H. A. Parker, of 
New Zealand. P. de Borman employs excessive 
rotation, the result being a very puzzling curl and 
break, but the stroke so made cannot be placed with 
any mastery and it is very fatiguing to the fingers 
and arm (see Plates XI I^. and XII<5.). The lifting- 
drive is effected thus : — the elbow being bent and up, 
the racket meets the ball with an upward and forward 
glancing blow, ** brushing" the ball a^r> it has been 
graphically put. The upward movement of the 
racket should be very vigorous, but not too vertical, 
otherwise pace and direction are sacrificed. The 
important point is that, to get the top-spin, the ball 
must be hit on its lower side. The grip for this 
stroke should be well behind the racket (see Plate 
XIL). The peculiarities of this drive are that it 
possesses a very high trajectory, descends very 
rapidly and rises quickly. Just before the ground is 
reached, the rate of propulsion decreases, and thus 
the spin has more effect; hence the "dive" which is 
characteristic of the stroke. The player can hit very 
hard without any fear of the ball going out, while for 
short strokes the dive of the ball is very effective. 
It has been tried for the backhand, but it is not 
suited to the anatomical position of the bones of the 
arm. As compared with the standard stroke the 
lifting drive is more tiring, and it is not so easy to 
put body-weight into it. There is moreover less 




PLATE XV. MISS SUTTON (AMERICA): BECilNNING OF FORKHAXD DRIVE 




PLATE XVI. R. F. DOHERTY (ENGLAND): FINISH OF BACKHAND DRIVE 




PLATE XVII. H. L. DOHERTY (ENGLAND): BEGINNING OF LOW 
BACKHAND DRIVE 



DRIVING: FOREHAND AND BACKHAND 83 

possibility of steering the ball, since the follow- through 
leaves the ball, as it were, immediately after impact 
(see Plate XI.). 

To return to the standard stroke, one may remind 
the learner that it is graded. For half-shots the 
wrist is chiefly employed as in short cross or side- 
line strokes. This wrist stroke is also valuable for 
snapping up shooting balls or balls that can only just 
be reached; a very open racket is useful here. A 
cut lob of a dangerous kind, often winning the rest, 
may be effected by this stroke off a ball that to all 
appearance was killed. 

The general principles of position and timing 
apply to the backhand drive, but owing to the 
anatomical differences involved they do not admit of 
such complete application. The backhand drive is 
more important in one sense than the forehand, in so 
far as it is less frequently brought to perfection and 
certainly is more difficult to acquire. The forehand 
drive is the staple of the game, but it is false economy 
to run round every ball and take it forehanded — 
position is sure to be sacrificed. The learner should 
endeavour to make his backhand drive as good, 
relatively, as his forehand. He must be able, when 
necessary, to kill the ball with a hard well-placed 
backhand drive, as effectively and cleanly as on the 
forehand. A defective grip has prevented many 
players from acquiring a really masterly backhand 
drive. The grip should be adjusted so that when the 
ball is hit with a horizontal racket, the face being 
square, the fingers, wrist and forearm can do their 
work freely (see Plate XIV. for one form of grip, and 
Plate VIII. for another). A tyro who has no notion 



84 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

whatever of the movements involved in the backhand 
can get some notion of them by hitting objects with a 
/Walking-stick. The movements of shoulder and body- 
may be understood even by this sort of propaedeutic. 
The position should be much more sideways than for 
the forehand, especially when a full stroke is to be 
taken, or when one is driving down the opponent's 
forehand line (see Plates XV L and XVIL). Here 
the right foot should be to the left of a line drawn 
parallel to the side line through the left foot (see 
Plate XVIL). The players back will be almost 
turned to the net. For anatomical reasons the ball 
cannot be taken so late or so far back as in the 
forehand drive (see Plate XVI IL). It is helpful to 
bend the head down, so as to look more or less in 
the plane of the stroke, the line of sight being 
brought down to the level of the ball (see Plate 
XIX.). This is noticeable in the very accurate 
backhand strokes of H. Roper Barrett. The follow- 
through in a full stroke comes right across the body 
and the racket finishes about the height of the 
shoulder (see Plates VIII. XVI. and XX.). It may 
assist beginners to point out that in both forehand 
and backhand drives, the finish of the follow- through 
means the point past w^hich the arm and racket 
cannot go ; let them move as far as they can until 
stopped by the position of the body and the laws 
of nature. The body from the hips upward turns 
round as the shoulder follows the arm. As before, it 
must be remembered that the shoulder joint should 
move forward after the arm, not with it ; the work of 
hitting the ball must be consciously performed by the 
arm first. The left toe may act as a sort of pivot. 




PLATE XIX. M. DECUGIS (FRANCE): FINISH OF FOREHAND DRIVE 




PLATE XX. N. E. BROOKES (AUSTRALIA): FINISH OF BACKHAND DRIVE 



DRIVING: FOREHAND AND BACKHAND 85 

For drives across court It Is useful to put top on ; 
such drives are very useful for finishing a rest. 

As in one form of the forehand drive, so in the 
backhand the racket comes round the ball. Here 
the wrist, which of course should be bent back and 
rigid, comes into play and directs the course of the 
ball. One should feel one's wrist in the backhand 
stroke. It is possible to play backhand drives with a 
draw of the racket from left to right across the body, 
as W. V. Eaves sometimes does, but there Is not the 
same control over the direction of the ball. But both 
this and all forms of short strokes, especially stop- 
strokes, should be practised, both forehand and 
backhand. 

Lastly, it cannot be too firmly impressed on the 
learner's mind that the foundation of a good game Is 
clean and hard hitting. Hard, well-placed drives are 
the backbone of the attacking game, and to kill the 
ball off the ground one must be able to bang it out of 
reach. To do this and to play good length drives 
without tiring, to apply the maximum of force with 
the minimum of effort. It is necessary to hit from the 
shoulder. If the directions previously given are 
carried out, the trick of this can be acquired by 
anyone to whom it does not come naturally. The 
player will soon find the value of a big stride not only 
for covering the court, but for executing hard drives. 
It is only by planting the feet well apart that a hard 
drive can be adequately carried out. 



CHAPTER VI 
THE VOLLEY AND ITS VARIETIES 

An orderly evolution — Volleys at the height of the waist or 
shoulder — Variety of direction essential — How Brookes "pigeon- 
holes " the ball — Principles and practice of the plain straight volley — 
The oblique or tangential impact — Extremes of elevation — The low 
volley — Placing the ball at will overhead — The hard smash — The 
backhand smash — Further points as to method — Cross-court volleys — 
Stop- and drop-volleys — The importance of deep volleying — General 
principles of defence against the volleyer — The half-volley 

THE volley, more than any other stroke, is 
characteristic of lawn tennis. In no other 
game is it possible to do so much with the 
ball at full pitch. The reason is the comparative 
lightness and elasticity of the inflated india-rubber 
sphere, a reason also which allows the game 
generally a greater variety of strokes than is 
possessed by any game in the world. In some 
respects the volley itself is capable of more variety 
than the other strokes of the game — in the matter, 
that is, of the angle of direction — since it can be 
played in almost any position and from almost all 
parts of the body. Without going into historical 
detail, it is sufficient to point out that the volley like 
the drive and the service, has passed through an 
orderly evolution ; the development in brief, has 
been from a short stroke, effected by the wrist 




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THE VOLLEY AND ITS VARIETIES 87 

alone, to a longer stroke, in which fingers, arm, 
shoulder and body may also take their part. The 
result is greater delicacy, greater precision and 
greater weight and force. To these results is to be 
added the application of spin. 

The beginner will find little difficulty in learning 
forehand and backhand volleys when about the 
height of the waist or shoulder. It is best to play 
them with the arm slightly bent ; in the follow- 
through, of course, the arm is extended. The side- 
ways position is not so pronounced as for the drive, 
especially in the case of backhand volleys. The 
knees should be slightly bent ; for low volleys one 
should stoop as far as one can. For volleys of an 
average height it is useful to bend the head down 
to the stroke, so as to see along the line of flight 
(see Plate I.). The ball should be hit earlier than 
in the drive.' As soon as ordinary accuracy in 
returning simple easy shots is acquired, the player 
must cultivate variety of direction. The fingers 
and wrist play an important part here ; a good 
volleyer must possess or acquire strength of finger 
and wrist. Except in hard-hit volleys the follow- 
through is carried along the line of flight of the 
ball ; the racket at the finish pointing to the place 
to which the ball is travelling. The swing-back 
should be minimised as much as possible, the 
ordinary volley being somewhat of a push, and also 
giving the player less time than other strokes (see 
Plate I.). In accordance with this principle, it is 
useful when waiting for a volley to hold the racket 
with the head pointing to the net. This position 
also enables the racket to move most quickly to one 



88 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

side or the other, according as the ball comes to the 
forehand or the backhand. Greater power of 
accuracy, it will be found, can be secured when 
the racket is held rather short (see Plates IL and 
IIL). The ball must not be merely met by the face 
of the racket, it must be consciously hit and firmly 
followed. In the case of Brookes the spectator can 
almost see him pigeon-holing the ball with his follow- 
through. 

It will be convenient here to throw into relief 
two principles, which are brought into greatest 
contrast perhaps in high volleys. The one is the 
use of the plain straight stroke with the face of the 
racket at right angles to the ball, and the other is 
oblique or tangential impact, the cut. As a rule, it 
is advisable to have the face of the racket slighdy 
open, that is, with the upper edge of the frame bent 
back. For low volleys, it is necessary, the angle of 
the racket automatically raising the plane of the ball's 
flight, so that it clears the net. Even in volleys at 
the height of the waist it is useful. These volleys 
are generally hit with a straight stroke. If the ball 
were slighdy higher than the shoulder it could be 
hit in the same way. But it could also be hit with 
a downward glance or slice, the result being a cross- 
volley, at any sharp angle. This stroke is well 
exemplified by H. L. Doherty, and is very effective 
from the right-hand court. In the other method it 
could be hit across at the same angle, but to do so 
the body would have to move round, and the fingers 
and wrist would have more to do. The latter method, 
exemplified by Brookes, requires more careful 
watching and guiding of the ball, while the other 




PLATE III. N. E. BROOKES (AUSTRALIA): LOW FOREHAND VOLLEY 




PLATE IV. H. L. DOHERTY (ENGLAND): LOW BACKHAND "DRAW 

VOLLEY 



THE VOLLEY AND ITS VARIETIES 89 

may degenerate, if the player is careless, into a slash. 
The same contrast is brought out in the so-called 
smash, which may be hit either straight or obliquely. 
All this applies equally well to backhand cross- 
volleys. 

There is still another method of volleying a ball 
that is no higher than the shoulder nor lower than 
the waist, that is to say, a ball that is at the height 
of a fairly high bound. The method is to drive it 
as if it were off the ground, with a straight arm. 
Some authorities deprecate this stroke as being risky, 
but when the ball has appropriate elevation and 
velocity, the stroke is no more risky, and is far more 
effective than an ordinary volley. It has the merit 
of possessing the capacity, especially in a double, to 
kill the ball outright. Gore, S. H. Smith and E. R. 
Allen play this stroke with great accuracy. Applying 
other varieties of the drive, such a ball may be lifted 
or hit with a draw. The latter is frequent on the 
backhand and may be used for instance when a 
player's position is such that he cannot drive the 
stroke home (see Plate IV.). The draw keeps the 
ball low but above the net and the angle at which 
it passes over the net is often sharp, a fact which 
renders it difficult to take. The name *' scissors " 
sometimes given to this stroke, well illustrates its 
character. 

Extremes of elevation in the volley are exemplified 
by the lowest of low volleys, when the ball is within 
two inches of the ground, and by a smash for which 
the player has to leap into the air. The smash or 
overhead volley is similar to the service and is played 
in much the same way (see Plate II.). The beginner 



90 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

may note that the chief reason for failure is omitting 
to keep the eye on the ball right up to the moment 
of striking. He should get well under the ball, so 
that it is rather behind than in front of his head, 
except in the case of a slow and easy short ball near 
the net, which can be hit down and out of reach 
without delay. By varying the plane in which the 
racket moves to the ball, to right or left, straight or 
oblique, the ball can be placed at will with great 
precision, if little or no cut is used. For straight 
quiet smashes Brookes is a model ; he puts the ball 
away with mechanical accuracy. No swing is used, 
but often the fingers and wrist have much to do, if 
the angle of return is very different from the angle 
of approach or if the volleyer has to meet a hard 
drive. Command of a volley like this is very useful 
in running-up on the service (see Plate V.). H. L. 
Doherty's is no less perfect ; he uses more swing and 
the direction is equally well concealed in this way. 
The hard smash is less frequently necessary in singles 
than in doubles ; in the latter one hits a ball as hard 
as possible, in a single one would often be better 
advised to play a dropping stroke. As the name 
implies, in this stroke the ball is allowed as it were to 
slip off the face of the racket. For dealing with lobs 
on the backhand H. L. Doherty's method should be 
considered. The ball is never taken backhanded ; 
the player seems to float quietly backward or back- 
ward and sideways with the ball, which he places 
firmly and often severely across the court. This can 
be done while running (see Plate VL). The back- 
handed smash, as employed to perfection by the late 
H. S. Mahony, should be learned, it being useful for 




PLATE VII. M. DECUGIS (FRANCE): BEGINNING OF BACKHAN'D SMASH 



THE VOLLEY AND ITS VARIETIES 91 

short balls well on the backhand side-line, and is 
frequently required in doubles (see Plate VII.). 

A thorough command of the overhead volley is 
essential in both singles and doubles ; in the latter 
especially, for here the lob is so obvious a method 
of defence (the court being more guarded than in a 
single). A pair who cannot smash well and with 
variety are, other things being equal, doomed to 
failure. Some points as to method are here note- 
worthy. The racket may be held down by the side 
until the ball is within reach, or it may be held in 
the air. In the former case the ball must be well 
judged, or there must be a pause to steady the stroke 
before the ball is struck. The player must learn the 
trick of running backwards, but when the lob goes 
deep into the court he must turn and run forwards 
until he is underneath the ball, when he turns once 
more to face the net. In smashing lobs it is im- 
portant to remember your whereabouts in the court, 
otherwise you may fail to clear the net or may go 
wrong in length or placing. 

As a general principle it is, of course, better to 
volley down than up. A rising ball is always in 
danger when the opponent is near the net. Neverthe- 
less, the low volley must be employed at times, and 
in certain of its forms, for example in cross-volleying, 
the stroke may be developed into a winning shot. 
The low volley can be brought to such perfection 
that a hard well-placed return may be made from a 
ball that is within a foot of the ground. E. R. Allen 
plays a backhand volley of this nature with decisive 
effect ; the ball keeps low, crosses the opponent to 
his right and pitches almost on the side-line. A ball 



92 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

can be volleyed with fair precision when within two 
inches of the ground, the movement being somewhat 
like that of the mashie shot in golf. Here we may- 
note that many such strokes are made from the side 
or end of the racket, not from its centre. The 
structure of the modern racket admits of this. 

For the low volley the player must bend down as 
far as he can (see Plates IIL IV. and VIII.), and 
the racket should be as horizontal as possible. If the 
racket is vertical it is difficult to effect anything but 
a defensive stroke. Sometimes, however, as in quick 
play at the net in doubles, it is necessary to play the 
ball almost off the feet with a vertical racket, much 
as a batsman blocks a cricket ball. This stroke is 
well played by R. F. Doherty. For other than 
defensive purposes the low volley is either a cross 
or a stop-volley. Very effective volleys at an ex- 
tremely sharp angle can be made when the ball is 
within a foot of the ground and close to the side-line. 
F. W. Payn was good at these. The racket must be 
as horizontal as possible. Steering is assisted, if the 
head of the racket is kept up. The chief point about 
the stroke, however, is that it is a glancing hit almost 
underneath the ball. Here as in all cut strokes, the 
path taken by the racket is straight, not curved, on 
a parallel slightly lower than the flight of the ball 
and not necessarily upwards, the open face raising 
the ball sufficiently. On the backhand the same 
result can be effected by a hook-volley, instead of 
a slice. The wrist is bent sharply round (see Plate 
IX.). It is not too much to say that the player must 
have a repertory of cross-volleys, ranging from above 
the shoulder to his feet, both forehand and backhand. 




PLATE VIII. M. DECUGIS (FRANCE): LOW FOREHAND DROP-VOLLEY 




PLATE IX. N. E. BROOKES (AUSTRALL\) : LOW BACKHAND 
HOOK-VOLLEY 



THE VOLI^EY AND ITS VARIETIES 93 

Passing now to stop- and drop-volleys, we require 
still greater delicacy of touch than in the cross- 
volley. These are no less valuable than the latter 
for killing the ball, and are especially effective in a 
single. The stop-volley can be made from the 
hardest drive, and the ball drops practically dead. 
The player must be as near the net as possible and 
in one variety of the stroke he allows the racket to 
givQ as it meets the ball. By turning the wrist, as in 
the hook-volley, the ball can be made to move almost 
parallel to the net. Pim was proficient at this. In 
another variety the racket is held vertically, and 
moves downwards with a sort of dig, as seen in the 
photograph of Brookes (Plate X.) ; in yet another the 
vertical racket moves slowly upwards, with a kind of 
drag, allowing the ball to fall quietly off it (see Plate 
XL). The latter varieties can be played when the 
ball is fairly low ; in the others the ball should be 
higher than the net. A stroke which is half a cross- 
volley and half stop, may be made by a sort of 
oblique stab. The ball comes across at a sharp 
angle and pitches very short. The lob-volley is 
almost sufficiently explained by its name. It is 
useful in a double, when all four men are at the net. 
It should be fast enough and high enough, or it will 
be easily killed. Dr. Eaves is one of its few 
masters. 

Though it need not be supposed that the volley 
is only important as an attacking or deciding stroke 
— in doubles more often than not, and in singles 
sometimes, it is defensive — yet owing to the greater 
quickness of return and the less time allowed to the 
opponent, the volley should by preference be em- 



94 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

ployed to weaken the defence, to get the opponent 
out of position, or to finish the rest. For killing 
the ball, hard hitting as well as good placing are as 
essential as in the drive. The way in which R. F. 
Doherty, for instance, finishes a rest in a double by a 
hard backhand volley driven right between the 
opponents, well shows the decisive character of a 
good volley. The beginner may note here that the 
backhand volley is very easy to place well and to hit 
hard if the arm is bent and the stroke well carried 
through. 

When placed down the court, the volley should 
be deep enough to prevent the opponent getting 
back to it ; the chance for this rarely occurs in a 
single. Generally speaking, the best direction for a 
kill is across the court, both when the opponent is up 
and when he is back. The sharper the angle is, the 
better. The beginner is advised when running-up 
after a good drive to pause at the service line until 
he knows where the return is coming, and then to 
dart in to the net and execute the volley. For quick 
volleying in a double it is advisable for some players 
to hold the racket with the backhand grip ; a quick 
forehand volley can be well played thus, whereas a 
backhand volley cannot be satisfactorily achieved 
with the forehand hold. 

The necessity of placing the ball down the centre 
of the court in order that the volleyer may have the 
best chance of reaching the return has often been 
referred to. A consideration of the diagonals of the 
single court, where they cross the net, proves the 
general usefulness of this method. The player will 
also observe that when following up, for instance, a 




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THE VOLLEY AND ITS VARIETIES 95 

reverse American service from the right-hand court 
it is best to keep rather to the left of the centre of 
the net. In fact, he will find that it is useful to 
cultivate the power of swerving in his stride as a 
football player does. When a man is on the run it 
is useful to put the ball to the place he has just left, 
especially if the return be made at a sharper angle. 
This applies to the drive equally. For instance, 
when the court is quite open for a cross-volley and 
the opponent anticipating this is already moving in 
the required direction, a volley down the side-line 
or a stop-volley, may effectually finish the rest. I 
have referred to the centre of the court and keep to 
the last a no less emphatic injunction to the player 
not to trust too much to this position. A good 
driver can pass a man from the centre of the base- 
line with reasonable success, and can always put him 
out of position. A player should therefore remember 
that hard driving into the corners of the court, 
especially diagonally, is no less useful a preliminary 
to running-up to the net. 

With regard to the general principles of defence 
against the volleyer, it must be noted that if his 
volley is at all decisive, the only hope is, if you reach 
it, to lob. On the other hand if the cross-volley is 
just a shade too slow or too little across, the 
return may pass him outright. Thus bad back-play 
generally beats bad volleying. The persistent 
volleyer works for an opening by the service and by 
well-placed volleys into the back of the court, until 
he has an opportunity for a cross-court kill. The 
opponent must calculate his own chances of driving 
down the lines so as to pass him or at least get him 



96 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

out of position, in which latter case he ought to pass 
him on the other side next shot. It is important to 
remember that it is almost impossible to pass a 
man who is at the net by hitting across the court ; 
you must try for the lines. If however he is not 
quite up, or only at the service-line, then is the time 
for a pass across the court. 

The half-volley is extremely valuable as a last 
resort, when out of position, or as a time-saver. It 
is no less valuable, however, when brought to per- 
fection, as an attacking stroke, precisely because of 
the difference in time. The half-volley is, of course, 
played as a rule with the racket more or less vertical. 
The stroke is made chiefly with the wrist and 
forearm ; the follow-through should be carefully 
attended to, here the head of the racket should be 
kept as low as possible. At the finish it should not 
Idc more than two or three feet from the ground. 
This is the secret of keeping a hard half-volley in 
court. G. A. Caridia is the best exponent of this 
stroke, employing it as a means of attack with great 
success. 

It is hardly necessary to explain that a half- volley 
consists in a stroke by which the ball is played 
within a few inches after its impact with the ground. 
What does require a word is the development which 
it has received beyond this primary form. This 
development is similar to what has been done with 
the half- volley in batting. Jessop hits the ball when 
it is really a good way from the ground, and keeps 
his eye on it as much as if it were a long hop. So 
in lawn tennis ; the ball can be taken and driven hard 
when it is from one to three feet behind its point of 



THE VOLLEY AND ITS VARIETIES 97 

impact with the ground. The gain in time is 
enormous, as it is from any rising ball. The rest 
may be finished before the opponent has even begun 
to move. The rising ball as ordinarily implied is 
taken much later than this half-volley ; the two 
strokes merge into one another. Thus, a player like 
Caridia can drive the ball at any point between its 
point of contact with the ground and the top of its 
bound, not to mention the later and much easier half 
of its progress towards the second bound. A very 
useful stroke may be termed the stop-half-volley. A 
volleyer near the net receives a return at his feet, 
too short to volley. He can return this with a 
delicate half-volley slightly cut or stopped, so that 
the ball will fall dead just over the net. Holcombe 
Ward, the American, executes this stroke to perfec- 
tion. 



CHAPTER VII 

THE STANDARD SERVICE 

The value of variety — Position of the feet — Need of a light and 
easy pose — Throwing up the ball — Some important points emphasized 
— The swing- back — The contact of the racket with the ball — After the 
impact — Where the racket should finish — Body-weight and its distribu- 
tion — Imparting "devil" to the stroke — Good length essential — The 
relation of the first service to the second — Placing the service in the 
corners — Variation by natural spin 

THE service is a formal attack, and though 
its terminus a quo and terminus ad quern 
are limited, its positive advantages are 
great. The same is the case in many ball games ; 
even in fives, where the service may have to be 
made according to the taste of the striker-out, the 
server has an advantage from his position. There 
is a close analogy between the service and bowling 
in cricket or pitching in baseball, and -some general 
principles are common to all three, such as the 
advantages of change of pace, change of direction 
and change of spin. Variety is invaluable in the 
service, and the learner is recommended, as soon as 
he has mastered the plain standard service, to practise 
varying it until he has the same command of the 
ball as that possessed by a first-class bowler. 

The same procedure as was recommended in the 

98 





PLATE 1. R. F. DOHERTY (ENGLAND): 
BEGINNING OF SERVICE 



PLATE II. MRS. LAMBERT CHAMBERS 
(ENGLAND): BEGINNING OF SERVICE 




PLATE III. F. L. RISELEY (ENGLAND): BEGINNING OF SERVICE 



THE STANDARD SERVICE 99 

case of the drive may be followed by the beginner, 
that is, he may commence with a half-arm action. 
For the standard service the grip is the same as for 
the forehand drive. It should be loose until the 
moment of striking the ball. As always, it is to be 
remembered what an important part can be played 
by the ends of the fingers. The thumb can also 
be used to control the direction of the ball. Take 
two balls in the left hand — with a little practice 
three will be found easy to carry and useful in case 
of a let — and stand about a yard or a yard id a 
half to the right or left of the centre of the base- 
line. Serving into both courts should be practised 
equally. There is a good deal of difference between 
the two in the angle at which the stroke is delivered; 
Until some proficiency is attained, it will be best, 
as in learning other strokes, to hold the racket short. 
The left toe should be about six inches behind the 
base-line, and, from the right court, should point 
either straight along the line which the ball is to 
follow, or a little to the right of it. The right foot 
should be slightly to the right of and about two feet 
behind the left. From the left court if the same 
position is taken relatively to the flight of the ball 
the right foot will be to the left of a line drawn 
through the left foot parallel to the side-lines. The 
pose should be light and easy, and it is useful to 
swing to and fro, changing the weight from one 
foot to the other by way of exercise in balance. 
The place where you intend to put the ball should 
be marked with the eye, but as soon as the ball is 
thrown up the ball alone must be watched. Faults 
are due to nothing so much as to the omission to 



lOO THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

keep the eye on the ball. The space Into which 
you aim to direct the ball should at first be a large 
area, practically the whole of the backward half 
of the court. Practice will soon diminish this, just 
as in revolver-shooting one proceeds from large to 
small bulls. An expert server can place the ball 
at will within a space less than a foot in diameter. 
-,-^^To commence, put the left hand and the face 
/ of the racket together, in front of you, previous to 
3^ftrowing them up. This is equivalent to addressing 
^"^the ball. Then throw the ball up slightly above 
and to the right of the head, rather behind than in 
front, and at the same time raise the racket so that 
its face is a few inches behind the ball when the 
latter is descending. Then hit the ball before it 
has fallen too far for the arm to move comfortably. 
The above is a method useful for those who have 
had no experience at all. At first the stroke will 
be a feeble sort of pat, but you must gradually 
lengthen the throw-up of the ball, and the other 
movements will in time become longer also. It is 
useful to practise throwing up the ball before the 
racket is raised, and vice versa. The throw-up of 
the ball is as important a matter as anything in 
the service, and it is not the least difficult. The 
service depends very much on the accuracy and 
straightness of the throw-up. It is obvious that 
if the ball describes a curve it will be less easy to 
hit. The eye should be kept on the ball until the 
racket is actually touching it. The mental photo- 
graph of the opponent's court and of the place 
where you intend to serve is quite enough for the 
most accurate service. 




\ 



^^ 



%. 




THE STANDARD SERVICE loi 

The gradual lengthening of all the movements 
will lead to the standard service, now to be described. 
The right arm and racket, the position being taken 
up, are held loosely down by the right knee. Then 
the ball is thrown up to about two or four feet above 
the head, to the right and behind. Meanwhile the 
trunk is bent back and the right shoulder pressed 
down, so as to get body-weight and to hit the ball 
from a point as far back as possible (see Plate I.). 
The racket is swung up and over the right shoulder ; 
the wrist is quite loose so that the head of the racket 
drops behind the back like an Indian club. It should 
be allowed to drop as far as it will go (see Plate II.). 
It is then brought up and forward with the action 
of throwing ; the stroke being timed so that when 
the ball is struck, the arm is fully extended and the 
elbow no longer bent (see Plates III. and IV.). After 
the impact the movement must not be checked ; the 
follow-through must be firm and carried to the end. 
The racket finishes past the left knee, having 
described almost a semicircle since it met the ball 
(see Plates V. and VI.). It may also finish straight 
in front or past the right knee (see Plates VII. and 
VIII.). In the latter case the service is tending in 
the direction of the American. In the former it 
will be hit cleaner but with less force than in the 
first of the three positions. The knees of course 
should be bent. The right shoulder must work 
freely coming forward round and down during the 
follow-through. As to body-weight and its distribu- 
tion, this may be already forward on the left leg, 
or may be transferred from the right to the left. 
It must be remembered, however, in the latter case, 



102 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

that this transference is impossible unless some 
weight is already on the left. A good grip should 
be taken by the toes and ball of the foot ; it Is 
almost essential to rise on the toes. One or both 
will be used as a sort of pivot for the body as it 
swings round and forward (see Plate VI IL). 

The server must not fix himself too much, or 
he will not be able to start quickly for the return. 
In the next place it is necessary for the control 
of the ball, to prevent sailing and to give some 
*' devil" to the stroke, so as to make it *'whip" off 
the ground, that the racket should meet the ball 
with its face not quite square. In ordinary cases 
the ball is hit slightly on its right side. If, when 
this is done, the racket is also well over the ball, 
the result is a kicking service. 

Some further details follow. A good length is, 
as in bowling, one of the first things the server 
must acquire. But for variety, a short service is 
often useful. The second service should not be 
a mere safety stroke ; some little determination and 
practice will easily make it as certain and as good 
as the first. One should notice, if the first Is a 
fault, what the mistake was, and correct it in the 
second, thinking of nothing else. A good way to 
regard the relation of the first service to the second, 
is the very opposite of the view taken by the inex- 
perienced. Thus the first service may be regarded 
by the learner as a trial ball, or sighting-shot, and 
the second service as the real thing. It is quite 
useless for the beginner to serve the first service 
as hard as he can, and then to pat the second. A 
fast second service is useful when not expected ; a 




PLATE Vnr. H. L. DOHERTY (ENGLAND): FINISH OF SERVICE 



THE STANDARD SERVICE 103 

slow service gives the server more time to get into 
position or up to the net. This is the great advan- 
tage of a heavy spin, as in the American service. 
A straight service varied by spins is a useful form 
of variety. The corners of the court are, as a rule, 
the best points to aim at. Serving down the centre 
assists a volleyer, but it is somewhat dangerous with 
the backhand court. A twisting or swerving service 
is most effective if delivered not from the corner of 
the court, but from a point nearer the centre. With 
these services one should not overdo the placing 
into the corner, the angle of the break is often more 
effective and less likely to lead to a pass, if the 
service is placed in the centre of the service line. 

The standard service can be varied by exagger- 
ating its natural spin. Cutting the ball sometimes 
rests the arm ; it also helps the server if he wishes 
to deliver a slower service. In this case also the 
chance of a fault is reduced. 

This point leads up to a consideration of what 
may be termed complex services. They require and 
deserve a separate chapter. 



CHAPTER VIII 

COMPLEX SERVICES 

The ordinary twist service — How the reverse twist may be acquired 
— American services — Their actions and movements explained — 
Principles of the American swerve and break — Some truths expounded 
— The rotation of the ball and what it means — Why the American 
swerve sometimes fails to break in the proper way — A practical method 
of acquiring the ordinary and the reverse American services — General 
tactics for the server — Running-in on the service 

FIRST let us take the Ordinary twist service. 
By hitting the ball on its right-hand side 
with a glancing blow, the racket being more 
or less perpendicular, the result is horizontal spin. 
This causes the ball to curl in the air out to the 
server's right and then in to his left hand. After 
touching the ground, the ball continues the same 
curve. The so-called break hardly exists, it is simply 
a continuance of the original curve, the only difference 
being that it is generally more pronounced than the 
curl in the air. If the ball is thrown up more to the 
right, more spin can be obtained. This service curls 
out of court when served into the right-hand half of 
the service area. 

The Chop service is more of a half-arm stroke. 
The racket makes a downward glancing blow, from 
right to left, producing oblique under-spin. The ball 
hangs and is inclined to keep low. 





< ^ 



P^ en 
H 
en H 



COMPLEX SERVICES 105 

Underhand twists are sometimes employed as a 
change. The ball is hit with a glancing blow from 
right to left, the racket being almost horizontal and 
moving across the body at right angles to the ball. 
The ball curls out to the left and in to the right. 
The backhand service is the converse of this, being 
hit from left to right. Neither of these services is of 
much practical use. 

In the Reverse twist (see Plates I. II. and III.) 
the racket glances across the ball from right to left. 
It is at a much lower level than the ordinary service, 
the arm must be bent. As the racket hits the ball 
it is more or less perpendicular. The ball spins on 
its axis to the left, and curves out to the left and in 
to the right, continuing this curve after hitting the 
ground. This service is useful from the backhand 
court, as it keeps low and bends out of court. It 
seems impossible, however, to play it very fast and 
the action is more fatiguing than in services made 
in the *' ordinary " direction. 

By bending the wrist back and therefore hitting 
downwards, the ordinary straight service may be 
made to keep low or on certain grounds to shoot. 
Under-spin causes this. The ball is not thrown high 
and should be in front of the server instead of to his 
right. When the ordinary service with a slight cut 
is made with the racket pointing to the left, so that 
the ball is hit on its left-hand side and the racket 
finishes to the right of the server, the result is in the 
direction of the American service. F. L. Riseley's 
service is of this nature. 

Now we come to what are known as the American 
services. The action and movement of the arm and 



io6 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

racket, and the direction of propulsion are from the 
server s right to left or from left to right, the former 
being the ''ordinary," and the latter the reverse, 
American. When first introduced into England a 
few years ago by D wight Davis and Holcombe 
Ward, this service was a revelation. It is not any 
exaggeration to say that its introduction marked an 
epoch. To illustrate and explain the feelings 
experienced by those ignorant of its properties or 
meeting it for the first time, let us take the reverse 
variety of the ordinary, not American, service. A 
player would be fanliliar with its curve out to the 
server's left and in to his right, and with its so-called 
break, which continues that curve to the servers 
right. Supposing him to meet a reverse American, 
he sees it curl in the air in the familiar way, and is 
sure that its break will correspond, and will be to 
the server's right. But to his surprise, it breaks in 
the opposite direction, namely, to the server's left. 
Having prepared to hit the ball, perhaps back-handed, 
he is left helpless, as it passes across to his forehand. 
Conversely, the ordinary American curls out to the 
right of the server and in to his left, and breaks back, 
as it were, to his right. Thus it is usual and most 
natural, to serve the reverse variety from the right- 
hand and the ordinary from the left-hand court, the 
service in each case taking the striker outside the 
court. But here also variety is useful. 

There seems to be no reason to question the term 
** American." Those who first made the service 
widely known, even if it had been worked out 
independently elsewhere, deserve the privilege of 
sponsorship. But here, as in the case of other 



COMPLEX SERVICES 107 

services, the term ** ordinary " as applied to one 
direction of the curHng service, is hardly appropriate, 
and though this form of the service is more widely 
used in England, America and the Colonies, the 
"reverse" form is no less popular on the Continent. 
''Right" and ''left" might be suggested, inasmuch 
as in the " ordinary " service the ball curls out to the 
server's right and breaks to his right, while in the 
" reverse " the two movements are to the left. 

In both forms of the American service the motion 
of the ball is the same, and is produced in the same 
way, but in the one the trajectory is bent over to the 
right and in the other to the left. As a great deal 
has been written on the "swerve," the break and the 
general peculiarities of this service, and there still 
seems to be some confusion as to what Is actually 
done by the ball, what the swerve Is and what the 
break Is, It will be well to combine with our account 
of the method of executing the service some definitive 
explanation of its principles. 

The beginner may be recommended when 
returning this service to wait until the ball is nearing 
Its second bounce. By that time it will not only 
have lost most of its spin, but It will actually come 
back to him. The break, that Is to say, is not 
straight nor does It curve in an opposite direction to 
the swerve ; it Is a repetition on a smaller scale of the 
curve of the ball in the air. It resembles figure C, 
not A or B. 

To employ an analogy from figure-skating, the 
whole course of the ball from the racket to the second 
bounce Is that of "three" or ordinary "turn," not 
that of a "rocker," straight or curved; the cusp 



io8 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 



being the point of contact with the ground. The 
diagram shows how the ball comes back ; that is, 
though the first half of the break is contrary to the 
second half of the swerve, and therefore unexpected 
by the novice, yet the second half returns to the 



B 




Swerve 



Break- 



^ .— ^>- 



Correct 



Swerve 




normal direction. The whole movement, again, is 
really one curve, broken by a cusp ; theoretically, 
that is to say, there is no difference except of degree 
between this break and that of the ordinary cut 
service. The latter is of this shape : — 




Breaks 

If this is emphasized, an American break is the result. 
The next point in the explanation may be 
regarded as the first essential for practising the 
service. Let us take the ordinary form — the point 
to be grasped is that the method of striking the ball 
and therefore its subsequent behaviour, is identical 



COMPLEX SERVICES 109 

with that of the llfting-drlve.^ As before noticed, 
this is effected by hitting the ball with an upward 
blow, the course of the racket being almost perpen- 
dicular to the ground. A strong forward or over- 
spin is thus imparted to the ball. In order to get 
this top-spin, the ball must be hit at the bottom ; this 
rule applies also to the service. This is not in order 
that the ball may travel from one side of the racket 
to the other, for it is quite certain that not more than 
an inch of the gut touches the ball either in this 
stroke or the service. The player must hit the ball 
with the centre of the racket. He certainly is liable 
to feel as if the ball stayed longer on the gut in these 
strokes; but what really happens is that by hitting 
the ball on its lower side he gets a better leverage 
for making it rotate. Consequently a very fair length 
of the ball's equator passes over that inch of gut. 
This lifting drive has a very high trajectory, an accen- 
tuated dive and rebound, the two latter movements 
being due to the fact that the rate of propulsion is de- 
creasing, so that the spin can have more effect. The 
same is the case with the American services. From a 
bird's eye view the course of the ball in the lifting-drive 
is quite straight, but from a side view it is like this : — 




If you take the plane of this drive and materialise it, 
and then bend it over to right or left at an angle of 
about forty-five degrees, it will be found identical in 
appearance and effect with the American service. 
The fact is that the American service is a lifting 

^ See page 82. 



no THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

drive, played obliquely. The credit of expounding 
this truth belongs to Mr. P. A. Vaile. As he well 
puts it/ '' the service really is the forehand lifting- 
drive, played as an overhead volley, but with flight 
and axis of rotation at an angle of, say, forty-five 
degrees, instead of the line of flight being at right 
angles to the ground and the axis of rotation 
horizontal." In order to bend the stroke thus, the 
ball in this service must be hit with a blow which is 
at the same angle. Thus for the ordinary American 
the racket moves upwards from SW to NE from SE 
to NW for the reverse. There must be no attempt 
to hit the ball on the top ; it must be hit underneath. 
If the curve in the air described by the American 
service is a ''swerve," then the curve or high 
trajectory of the lifting-drive is not a "swerve." But 
why not? It bends in the air, whereas the other is 
due to the tilting of the trajectory. The term 
" swerve," though it has not much precision, does not 
seem to be used of either movements. However 
that may be, it is interesting to compare another sort 
of swerve. The swerve of a cricket ball is certainly 
produced, in most cases (for instance, by George 
Hirst) without rotation. Mr. L. T. Driffield makes 
a cricket ball swerve in the same way. He is inclined 
to believe, as Hirst believes, that it is due entirely 
to the seam and the pressure of the air thereon. The 
seam in front of the ball (being more or less in the 
direction of its flight), acts as a forward rudder would 
on a boat and the pressure of the air consequently 
deflects the ball from a straight path. The ''swerve" 
of a base ball on the other hand is of the tennis type, 

^ Modern Lawn Tennis. 



COMPLEX SERVICES iii 

the ball, like the tennis ball, having no seam. The 
swerve is an appearance only ; the path of the ball 
is straight but is seen at an angle. A gclf ball when 
driven correctly resists the action of gravitation, owing 
to the fact that it has under-spin, and its curve is convex 
to the earth, the rotation making it rise. The curve 
made by the lifting-drive and the American service and 
by all twisting strokes in lawn tennis, is produced in the 
same manner as the curve of a golf ball. In those we 
are here concerned with, the curve is the other way 
towards the earth, but at an angle of forty-five degrees. 
The apparent *' swerve " has already been ex- 
plained ; we have now to consider the cause of the 
exaggerated curve up or down, which is due to the rota- 
tion of the ball on its axis. The explanation is already 
familiar. Take a ball flying through the air with for- 
ward or over or top-spin. For our purpose it has two 
motions (i) its translation, or movement of the whole 
ball from point to point in the air ; (2) its rotation. 
One side of the ball is necessarily moving faster than the 
other ; the side which is moving forward, in the same 
direction as the motion of the whole ball, is moving 
faster than the other side which is moving backwards, 
because the whole ball is moving forwards. Thus :- — 



>- >. 




A Path of Ball 

B Forward Rotation 

D Pole- 



112 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

The side B is moving faster than the side C. The 
same fact is well known in the case of the top of a 
carriage wheel in motion. Because the friction and 
pressure of the air is necessarily greater on the side 
which is moving faster, the ball, following the line 
of least resistance, yields to this pressure and 
therefore curves in the air. This explains the 
high trajectory, the quick rise and fall of the 
lifting drive and the American service. Bend the 
former to an angle of forty-five degrees, and the 
ball seems to swerve from one side to the other — - 
the American '* swerve." 

In the next place we have to consider the break. 
The bound has a similar trajectory to that described 
in the air. It is the bound of the lifting-drive but 
tilted over at an angle of forty-five degrees. Of 
course it is in the same plane as the curve in the air. 
The tilting produces, or rather is the break. 

A final point perhaps requires to be cleared up. 
It has been argued by one writer that the break is in 
the opposite direction to what it ought to be. This 
of course is not the case, its direction is perfectly 
natural. This writer, judging from his diagram, 
which is like a ** rocker," has not observed that the 
curve of the break is out and in, and of the same 
shape as the *' swerve" in the air. In order to 
account for this imagined irregularity he suggests 
that it is due to the axis of the ball having altered 
its inclination by the time it reaches the ground. On 
the analogy of the precession of the earth, which he 
quotes in illustration, the result could not take place 
in so short a time. Moreover that movement is only 
a sort of wobbling of the axis. But if the axis were 



COMPLEX SERVICES 



113 



turned, as he thinks, the result would be the opposite 
of what he supposes. 

In fact, everything depends for a successful break 
on the axis being put in the proper position and keep- 
ing it. This point is really of importance in the theory 
of the American service. It is a well known fact that 
in a rotating sphere the part which moves fastest is 
the equator. The motion decreases in speed on each 
parallel of latitude until the pole is reached, where 
theoretically there is no rotation at all. It is obvious 
then that the spin of a ball, the lifting-drive or 
American service, for instance, is most vigorous 
when the equator hits the grOT;nd. The top side 
then lurches forward, the ander side receiving a 
check, at the utmost velocity. 

The diagrams show the inclination of the axis 
produced by the plane in which the racket hits the 
ball (i) in the ordinary, (2) in the reverse service : — 



® 





AB 
CD 



Eauator 
Poles of Axis 



They represent the ball as seen directly from behind 
and on the same level as the eye, both when struck 
and when hitting the ground. The lines stand for 
the equator and the path of the racket, and the arrows 
give the direction of the motion of the racket and con- 
8 



114 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENxMS PLAYER 

sequently of the spin. The reason why an American 
service sometimes fails to break in the proper way is 
that the ball has been struck at a wrong angle and 
therefore hits the ground on a parallel which is not 
near enough to the equator. The same explanation 
shows how the ordinary twisting service, as opposed 
to the American, breaks in the same direction as the 
previous curve. The horizontal spin makes the axis 
nearly perpendicular and the ball therefore hits the 
ground on or near its pole, where there is no n: i: .. 
It skids there and continues its oriHiia] curve. Th( 
cusp has no tangential curves 




Equator 
Poles of Axis 

As before remarked, there is no difference In prin- 
ciple between the ordinary break and the American ; 
the latter is merely a better application of the same 
spin, at a better angle, so that the rotation is applied 
where it will do most good. 

The curious change of shape of the ball during an 
American service has been often noticed. The shape 
assumed is not, however, as generally supposed, that 
of an egg. It is the shape of the earth or of an orange 
and is due to the fact that the poles of a rotating sphere 
tend to become flattened. 

Returning to the practical side of the American 



i 




PLATE V, HOLCOMBE WARD (AMERICA): AMERICAN SERVICE 



COMPLEX SERVICES 115 

service and taking the ** ordinary " first, it is suggested 
that as a commencement the player should attempt it 
in a small way. When the trick of hitting the ball an 
upward glancing blow from the left-hand under side to 
the right-hand upper side — the secret of the stroke — 
has been acquired, then the various movements may 
be lengthened. It is essential to throw the ball up 
well to the left of the head, and to the left of the head 
when bent to the left, and the server must bend his 
body to the left and backwards. His weight should 
be on the left leg. It is useful to have the head of 
the racket already hanging behind the head before 
the ball is thrown up, as is done by Ward. It is 
also useful both in this and the reverse to hold the 
racket a little short. Finger-work is of importance ; 
if the racket is held rather loosely the player will 
feel the hand with his fingers at the end of the 
follow-through, an indication among others that the 
ball has been dealt with correctly. As in all services 
there must be an intelligent use of the feet ; the ball 
of the foot must be made to assist the movement of 
the body by acting as a clutch or a pivot (see Plate 
v.). The latter remarks of course apply to the reverse 
service equally. In this the ball is hit from S.E. to 
N.W. (see Plate VII.). The body should be almost 
facing the net and the weight is most profitably dis- 
tributed when most of it is on the right foot. The 
right foot, it will be seen, grips the ground. The 
weight swings over to the left during the follow- through. 
It is necessary to bend the body to the right and 
slightly backwards, and to throw the ball up to the 
right of the head. It is useful to bend the hand well 
back. This helps you to get under the ball. The 



Ii6 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

stroke is more wristy than that of the ordinary 
American, as it starts from a point away from the 
body where it is difficult to get swing and force. 
The wrist should be very loose, and the throwing 
action emphasized by a jerk of the wrist. To get 
swing, it is usual to make a down and up movement 
or flick as a preliminary. Hold the racket out at 
about the height of the wrist, with arm bent, then 
when the ball has been thrown up, drop the racket 
slightly and move it backwards and upwards ; a pause 
to steady the stroke follows, and then the racket is as 
it were, flung at the ball. The racket finishes right 
across the body. As in the ordinary American and 
other services, a little practice will make it easy to 
time the first stride towards the net with the beginning 
of the follow-through. The Plates (IV. and VI.) re- 
presenting Brookes executing these services illustrate 
"*1|this point to perfection. 

If, in either service, there is a difficulty about 
getting the proper angle of the stroke and conse- 
quently the proper break, it means that you are 
hitting the ball too horizontally. In order to correct 
this and get oblique rotation, it is useful to try and 
make the stroke almost perpendicularly upwards. 
This of course is impossible to do actually, but the 
attempt will bring the racket to the proper angle. 

A player who can serve with equal facility the 
ordinary service with spin, finishing the stroke to the 
right of the body, and the ordinary American, or the 
reverse service with spin, and the reverse American, 
can give his opponent some trouble by changing from 
one to the other, the members of each pair having a 
very similar action. In the photographs of Brookes 




H. A. PARKER (NEW ZEALAND): REVERSE AMERICAN SERVICE 



COMPLEX SERVICES 117 

it will be seen how difficult it is to distinguish one 
service from the other. ^ 

With regard to general tactics on the part of the 
server in a single, it has been pointed out already that 
to serve from the extreme corners is not much use. 
In particular, though a slow service with drag might 
give the server extra time to get up to the net, yet 
the extra distance discounts the advantage of time. 
More serious still is the chance that a service which 
takes the striker-out too far out of court may enable 
him to pass the server clean, placing the ball, as it 
wxre, round the corner. When the server runs in on 
his service, as he certainly should do if there is anything 
in it, variety of placing with the centre of the service- 
line as a staple gives him most chance of intercepting 
the return ; against a good driver it is dangerous to 
serve into the forehand half of the backhand court. 

In a double, when the server is serving from near 
the corner his partner should get nearer the side-line ; 
when he is serving from near the centre, the partner 
should move proportionately closer to the centre. It 
may be of use to some temperaments to watch one's 
partner as he serves, turning round as the ball starts 
on its flight. The habit has at least this in its favour, 
that it carries out the golden rule of lawn tennis — 
never take your eyes off the ball. 

^ In studying the Plates illustrating the various services of Mr. 
Brookes, the reader will, of course, bear in mind that the champion is 
a left-handed player. The suggestions offered in the text have refer- 
ence to a ri^/ii-hsLnded player. 



CHAPTER IX 
MATCH PLAY IN GENERAL 

Preliminaries — Winning the Toss — Points which ought to be 
considered — Where the striker-out should stand — The return of the 
service — Place rather than pace — Dealing with the man who runs in — 
The use and abuse of the lob — The favourite area of the hard driver — 
Short and soft shots — Inadequate care over easy returns — The need for 
a permanent base — Forbidden ground for the volleyer — Handicap 
singles — Advice to the giver and receiver of odds — Pluck indispensable 
— Turning the tables at the eleventh hour — " Win when you can " — 
Recoveries that end in defeat — Will-power on court — " Don't abuse the 
ball-boy!" 

HAVING discussed more or less exhaustively 
the various strokes in the game and 
suggested the methods of their execution, 
one may turn to match play — the department of 
direct antagonism, where blow is returned for blow 
and tactics and generalship are factors of prime 
importance. 

Before the match is actually set in motion there 
comes the preliminary function of '* tossing" for the 
honour, by which is not only meant choice of courts, 
as some players believe, but also the question as to 
whether you or your opponent is to begin the service. 
Now this is a matter of more than passing import- 
ance. The service is the first blow to be struck ; its 

possession, where players of equal calibre are con- 
ns 



MATCH PLAY IN GENERAL 119 

cerned, may bear a direct influence on the result, and 
in a protracted struggle a service in hand at the 
opening of a new set may prove the decisive factor. 
Speaking generally, the possession of the opening 
service in doubles is of considerable value and in 
nine cases out of ten the winner of the toss snatches 
at this advantage with avidity, ignoring altogether 
the question of side. But in a single the circum- 
stances are different and unless the winner of the 
toss has a particularly effective service which (taking 
the class of his opponent into account) he feels fairly 
confident will yield him the first game, it may prove 
more advantageous to confine the option to the court 
in which to begin operations. The wind, the sun, a 
possible slope of the court and the character of the 
background have all to be taken into account. If a 
strong wind is blowing down the court, its presence, 
especially if you are a base-liner, will naturally influence 
your decision ; a vain effort to return a screw service 
against the wind may ruffle your temper to such a 
degree that your chances of success are imperilled at 
the start. Wind, if previously studied, will prove a 
weapon of great utility — and neglect to gauge its 
direction before play begins may often cause unex- 
pected disaster. When it is blowing across the court 
its presence can be utilised with great effect in 
serving a ball that is intended to bound out of court 
or again when lobbing. The position of the sun 
should, of course, be instinctively observed, for if 
it be shining down the court, the player who gets it 
at his back has an incalculable advantage, especially 
if his opponent be a volleyer with a preference for 
high smashes. As the possession of courts is reversed 



120 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

after the first game, and again after the third, the 
wise man elects to be handicapped by the sun for 
the first game and to inflict its rays upon his opponent 
for the next two. Thereby (if he is confining his 
attention to choice of courts) he also ensures that his 
first service shall be delivered from the ** sunless " 
side. As to the slope of the court (if there be any) 
it is clear that a ball played downhill will have more 
pace on it after it leaves the ground. It is useful to 
keep this fact in mind. I think I have said enough 
to show that a favourable verdict from the spin of 
the racket or the coin is a **gift from the gods " which 
ought to be thoughtfully received. 

The question as to where the striker-out should 
stand to receive the service depends mainly on its 
quality and anticipated direction — anticipated that is, 
so far as previous experience of the server's deliveries 
affords a clue. If one is waiting to receive a lightning 
service, like that of F. L. Riseley, it would be hope- 
less to stand in court at all ; the player must get 
beyond the base-line. But for a service not absolutely 
dynamic, especially for one that draws its efficiency 
from placing, the striker-out can come nearer in, 
always remembering that if his opponent is trying to 
make him move out to the sides as is very likely, and 
is inevitable where break services are concerned, a 
foot or two's reserve space in front may be of great 
value. For while it is always possible to go forward, 
it is next to impossible to go back. The condition 
of the court will also be a factor determining the best 
position. On a wet court the bound of the ball is 
naturally slower, as it is shorter, and the striker-out 
will perhaps be able to stand as much as a yard 



MATCH PLAY IN GENERAL 121 

nearer the net than he would on a dry court. Players 
on the covered courts where the surface is uniformly 
fast necessarily stand farther back. 

The return of the service, speaking generally, is 
the most important stroke in the match ; it is the 
key to the rally. The quality of the service apart, 
players are apt to break down more frequently over 
the reply to the frontal attack than at any other point 
of the game. Even first-class exponents are guilty 
in this respect. Just as a golfer finds, apparently 
without reason, that he is invariably topping the ball 
at the tee, so the man in court is visited with a 
mysterious affliction that prevents his first shot of all 
finding the desired target. For days together the 
weakness remains, sapping confidence and exercising 
an effect on his whole play. Then suddenly the 
stroke is recovered, the ball is once more under 
control. I am inclined to think that one reason for 
this temporary failing, so far as the majority of 
sufferers is concerned, is the tendency, so difificult to 
overcome, to score outright by the first return. The 
short, dramatic rally makes an irresistible appeal to 
many players ; the desire to win the ace with the 
least possible delay becomes a habit. The pace is 
always being forced, brilliancy is sacrificed to tactics. 
Baddeley is right when he says it is easier and less 
risky to go for a stroke off the second or third return 
than off the first ; and the more one studies the 
methods of first-class players the more is one convinced 
that place rather than pace is the secret for the return 
of the service. 

Indeed the injunction "never press" may be 
applied to lawn tennis, as to golf. The hard hitting 



122 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

of the expert is natural to him, and comes last in a 
player's progress to excellence. The same is true 
of every game ; and there is no worse fault in a 
beginner than attempting to hit hard. As he 
improves in the other essentials of the stroke and 
becomes more accurate, he will find that unconsciously 
his drives become harder. Force, one repeats, comes 
last and it must be allowed to come at its proper 
time. 

In dealing with the man who runs in on his 
service try not to let this hustling manner of attack 
bother you. *' If his service is very severe," points 
out Mr. Meers, '' he won't have time to get very 
far in (unless the umpire allows him to foot-fault, 
which unfortunately he often does) and under these 
circumstances he is sure to miss a good many of 
your returns. If not a hard service, it should not be 
difficult to place the ball on one side or the other of 
him. If the service should be a high-bounding ball 
the best way is to force it, with some strength, either 
across the court or down the side-lines." But some 
alert volleyers seem, at any rate to the inexperienced, 
to leave no loophole at all. Before the service has 
apparently come over the net they have followed it and 
are waiting, eagerly and confidently, to devour the 
return. Unless he hits with some force the conscience 
of the striker-out tells him that the next stroke of 
his opponent will win the ace ; if he does hit with 
force he puts a premium on accuracy : the ball may 
either go beyond the side-line or sail aimlessly away 
over the head of the advancing volleyer — a ''mile 
out of court." 

An alternative stroke is the lob, but any lob that 



MATCH PLAY IN GENERAL 123 

does not pitch on or near the base-line and is not 
high enough to pass out of the reach of the volleyer 
is futile. A lob which is too short deserves to be, 
and doubtless will be, killed outright. One form of 
lob may be said to depend on height ; the other just 
passes out of reach of the opponents' racket and is 
naturally faster than the first. A lob into the back- 
hand corner is perhaps the most useful, but it must 
be remembered that a lob is really easier to volley 
when on the backhand side of the court, and a short 
one can be easily killed across. The player may 
be recommended to vary the placing of his lobs ; 
a fast lob into the forehand corner is as difficult to 
deal with as any. In snapping up a ball nearly out 
of reach some cut may be used, but as a rule the 
application of cut to a lob (except where wind is 
concerned) is to be deprecated. It has no positive 
advantage and may interfere with placing. Practi- 
cally speaking, the lob is a defensive stroke made to 
extricate the player from an embarrassing situation, 
and by some men it is employed with compunction. 
But the art of sound lobbing, provided it be not 
carried to excess and become a practice difficult to 
restrain, is certainly worth cultivating if only for the 
variety it offers. Most of the best American players 
are adroit at tossing ; some of them use the lob 
systematically when opposed to hustling volleyers and 
from it they obtain much relief and time to regain an 
attacking position. Nevertheless persistent lobbing 
must be regarded as a confession of weakness. 

Coming now to the actual rally or rest, its length 
must naturally depend upon the class of attack 
formulated by both combatants. A confirmed base- 



124 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

liner will naturally employ different methods to gain 
the desired end, the winning of the ace, than the 
habitual volleyer, while the all-round player adopts 
a combination of both. Mr. Meers thinks that if 
the base-liner be really good and his returns of low 
trajectory there will be little volleying. This is 
doubtless true except when the base-liner is required 
to deal with services and overhead volleying such as 
Norman Brookes commands, in which case the back- 
court man, however adroit he may be, will not be 
able to control his drives with the same certainty. 
Even S. H. Smith, who has been so successful 
against the best American volleyers, has found the 
close-quarter attack of Brookes extremely difficult 
to penetrate, while Gore, another severe base-liner, 
has fared worse. The case of the present champion 
may be extreme, but it has served to cast doubt 
on the theory that volleying against first-class base- 
line play should only be employed to kill a weak 
return or should follow a return that is calculated 
to embarrass the base-liner. For example, assume 
the man at the back of the court makes a quick 
return from a position near one of the corners. If 
you drive a hard ball down the centre and then 
discreetly advance the chances are that he either 
lobs (in which case your position would not be 
weakened) or presents you a return with which 
your position at the net should allow you to 
effectively deal. But it is worth remembering that 
the favourite area of a hard driver is between the 
centre and backhand line of the back half of the 
court. This is the place from which his most deadly 
drives proceed. To run up therefore when you 



MATCH PLAY IN GENERAL 125 

have put the ball into this area, however well placed 
down the centre your stroke may be, is to court 
disaster. Similarly, if you possess a hard drive, more 
can be done by directing it into the corners or into 
the forehand court than by going for the centre or 
the backhand side of the centre. Pressing a hard 
driver on his forehand often leads to a kill across 
court. He may also be treated to a number of short 
and soft shots. The short ones are difficult to return 
over the net at any speed, and the slow ones are 
troublesome by reason of the change of pace. 

When Ernest Renshaw was once asked by an 
aspiring youth for the secret of success at lawn 
tennis, he gave the laconic answer, " Learn to 
get the ball over the net"; and the hint is not 
so simple as it sounds. One might give it a 
finishing touch and say "into the court as well." 
Many a player endowed with a greater variety of 
strokes than his opponent beats himself by neglecting 
this elementary principle. Either he does so by 
not taking adequate care with his easy shots or by 
taking too great a risk with his difficult ones. 
Where two base-liners are concerned it generally 
happens that the man who makes up his mind to 
hit hard at everything loses the match ; it is the man 
who knows when to let out, and more essential, 
when to restrain his ardour, that has the better of 
the engagement. In short, patience is a virtue in 
the lawn tennis court, as elsewhere. The man who 
waits quietly for his adversary's pyrotechnic display 
to fizzle out seldom has to wait in vain. 

Too much stress cannot be laid on the importance 
of fixing on a permanent base from which the attack- 



126 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 



ing operations can be conducted and to which the 
player returns after some manoeuvre on the part of 
his opponent has drawn him from this position. 
Roughly speaking, this base for the back-court 
player is situated just behind the base-line ; for the 
volleyer about a yard behind the net. Some players 
fix the volleying base farther back, but its limit 
should be midway between the service-line and the 
net. The "forbidden ground" for the volleyer is 
between the service-line and the base-line. The 
reasons are concisely given by Wilfred Baddeley, 
perhaps the best general there ever was. Primarily, 
he points out, it is very much easier to effectively 
volley a ball that is ascending or travelling horizont- 
ally, as is the case when it is passing over the net, 
than one which, having passed the service-line, is 
descending. Secondly, the player has less space to 
guard, relatively, when he is up at the net than when 
he is farther back in the court. The following 
diagram employed by Mr. Baddeley explains this 
argument : — 



A-r::: 



* 



tC 



A is the base-liner driving his returns from the 
back of the court. B is the volleyer in the right 
position ; C the volleyer in the wrong position. It 



MATCH PLAY IN GENERAL 127 

is obvious that B has to cover less ground than C 
in order to reach the ball. Of course there are 
occasions when volleying in the back zone can be 
carried out with beneficial results and a good over- 
head volleyer, such as H. L. Doherty dealing with 
short lobs, can be deadly in this region. But as a 
general principle the section of court between the 
service-line and the base-line must never be regarded 
as a residence. It is '' the place to lose from." 

In a handicap single it behoves the giver of 
points to exercise more care than usual with all 
his shots. In theory, he will use his head more 
than his hand. He will make every effort to win 
a point outright from his first service, not only 
because of its face value but because of the 
demoralising effect a ''clean ace" always has on 
a weak opponent. The back-marker, however 
heavily penalised he may feel, should never regard 
the loss of the first set as conclusive evidence that 
he cannot win. A change of tactics, the nature of 
which is indicated by the penetrable points in his 
adversary's armour, may often produce unexpected 
results and disconcert the enemy at a period when 
he is inclined to slacken his efforts. The advice so 
often tendered to the receiver of long odds '*to let 
himself go " is sound in so far as it counsels him 
not to play ''pat-ball" and shy at a stroke which 
involves some risk. But a blind and reckless hitter 
is just the kind of prey an "owe-30" man is out to 
devour. It will not take him long to discover the 
kind of decoy that will deHver the "plus 15.3" man 
into his clutches ; by feeding him with balls that are 
invariably bashed out of court the result of the match 



128 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

will only be a matter of time. The receiver of points, 
especially if he has his back to the sun, will find the lob 
a most effective weapon, but now, as always, he must 
toss high or nothing will save him, not even the sun. 
As a general rule he should employ the volley as 
often as possible. The back-marker will in nine 
cases out of ten get the better of a base-line rally ; 
moreover, the chance of surprising him with a 
short-cross volley should ever be present in the 
weaker man's mind. The more he volleys the less 
the giver of odds will like it : of that I am sure. Of 
course he should choose his time when to run it. 
To do so on a weak service or a short-length 
hopping drive is to present his adversary with an 
ace. 

It goes without saying that the player who wins 
the toss in a handicap match should be particularly 
careful to ascertain where the odds fall before the 
match begins. A man who gives three-sixths of 
fifteen, which means a stroke to his opponent in 
every even game, will naturally elect not to serve 
in the first game, reserving any advantage he may 
possess in this respect for the second game, when 
he will have leeway to make up. So with the 
receiver of odds, he will take care that his service falls 
in those games (or as many of them as his odds allow) 
in which he is least favoured by the handicapper. 
Wind and sun, themselves extra penalties, must also 
not escape attention in this connexion. 

Need I add that one of the chief elements of 
success in match play is courage ? A contest is 
never so short that the issue cannot fluctuate ; the 
tables may be turned even in what appears to be 



MATCH PLAY IN GENERAL 129 

the last game of all. Some men (H. S. Barlow was 
one) rarely produce their best form until the other 
men secure a long lead and the necessity for 
adjusting the balance is very real. This is not a 
sound principle to adopt — win while you can and as 
soon as you can should be the golden maxim — but 
the fact that it is followed and often with success 
shows what determination can achieve under certain 
circumstances. It is always well to remember, even 
when disaster may appear imminent, that some 
untoward incident may occur which will destroy your 
opponent's nerve and deliver him into your hands. 
There is the historic match at Wimbledon when 
Ernest Renshaw, with Lawford five games to two 
in the fifth set, began serving slow under-hand screws 
— a dying kick as it were. The cross wind blew 
those breaks right out of court ; Lawford attempted 
to take them forehanded, failed and (the players 
changing sides every game as was the custom in 
those days) allowed Renshaw to catch him at the 
post and win. 

And if you have made a fine recovery after being 
hopelessly in arrears, be particularly careful not to 
relax your efforts when you have caught your 
adversary. Say he is five-two in the final set. 
You make a great effort (possibly he is slacking off, 
feeling he has the plum in his mouth) and manage 
to win the next three games. Honours are now 
easy and you breathe again. But just as you are 
congratulating yourself on the prospect of a brilliant 
victory, your opponent makes a final spurt, and 
finding you unresponsive — you have slightly relaxed 
the tension in surviving the crisis — wins in spite of 
9 



I30 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

your rally. This often happens. Therefore I say, 
do not ease off in the slightest when the umpire calls 
''five all." Win that eleventh game by hook or by 
crook — in eight cases out of ten it will decide the 
match. Your adversary will see you mean business 
and his resistance will probably flicker out in the 
twelfth game. 

Finally, there is the need for a calm demeanour. 
*• Yes," I have heard critics say of more than one 
fine, player ; '* he would have been champion of 
England but for his temper." Some players are 
endowed by Providence with what is known as a 
match-winning temperament. It is a great asset, 
worth many an American service or hurricane drive ; 
and I believe it can be cultivated by the exercise 
of will-power and a preordained resolution not to 
be upset by trifles. Umpires have a habit at crucial 
periods of giving wrong decisions — or decisions that 
appear to you to be wrong, which is the same 
thing from the psychological standpoint — and it re- 
quires a very strong mind to keep the temper under 
control. But practice in this, as in all respects, 
will efl'ect the desired end and very soon, almost 
unconsciously, the player will be able to assume, 
even if he does not actually feel, indifference to such 
passing worries. Another disturbing factor may 
be a temporary halt in the hostilities called through 
the action of some spectator, through a change of 
umpires, or possibly through your opponent wishing 
to change his shoe. Be as cheerful as you can 
during the delay, put your coat on if you think you 
are liable to catch cold and on no account (unless you 
want to lose the next game) use violent language. 



MATCH PLAY IN GENERAL 131 

Another injunction: Don't abuse the ball-boy! He 
may be guilty of every possible misdemeanour, even 
the heinous offence of pricking the balls with a pin ; 
but in nine cases out of ten it pays you better in the 
end to overlook his faults, at any rate until the match 
is over. Then, if you have won you will give him 
your sweetest smile. 



CHAPTER X 

DOUBLES AND MIXED DOUBLES 

Spectacular virtues of a good double — Why the general standard 
of play is not higher — The physical and mental affinity of twins — 
Systematized formation essential — The primary instinct of both players 
— Where the server's partner should stand — The server's advance — A 
sinister shot — Clearing the feet — Employing the half- volley — The return 
of the service — The lob as a weapon of defence and attack — The return 
of the lob — Studying the trigonometry of the court — An alternative to 
the hard smash — Evolution of mixed doubles not complete — The 
advance of the lady volleyer — A field for strategy and " bluff" — Some 
hints to the man at the net — An important service game to win 

IN the previous chapter the remarks applied more 
especially to the single game. The double 
game has independent features. The cam- 
paign requires distinctive methods. Two minds as 
well as two hands are employed ; there is both a 
division of labour and a combination of forces. 

When lawn tennis was first introduced the double 
was scarcely exploited at all and for some time its 
importance was subordinated to that of the single. 
Indeed, it is only within the last few years that its 
possibilities, both as regards strokes and tactics, have 
been comprehensively realised and an exposition of 
its higher qualities presented by experts. To 
Americans must in some measure be given the 
credit for developing its latent qualities. By com- 



DOUBLES AND MIXED DOUBLES 133 

bining break services with sustained close-quarter 
attack, in which the short, sharp volley is so powerful 
a weapon, they have raised the first-class double to 
the highest spectacular level and invested it with a 
fascination it never previously possessed. It is true 
the best American pairs have not quite succeeded in 
overcoming the best pair in this country ; but the 
margin has been so small as to be inconclusive. My 
impression is it would have disappeared altogether if 
the Doherty brothers had not, as a result of their 
two American visits, strengthened their game by 
absorbing some of the transatlantic ideas. 

Any tournament committee will readily admit the 
superior attractiveness of a first-class double ; if 
it is orp^anisinor an exhibition match to focus the 
interest of the ** gallery " the character of the '* extra 
turn " is never in doubt. A protracted duel between 
two hard-hitting base-liners can be exciting enough, 
but it provides few of the exhilarating features of a 
four-handed contest. In a long single there are 
bound to be intermediary periods when both men, 
consciously or unconsciously, slacken their energies 
and display indifferent form. But a high-class double 
where four men of superlative skill are concerned 
never becomes wearisome to watch ; it arrests and 
holds attention from the first serve to the last. Since 
it is built up on volleying, the pace is faster and the 
rests shorter. Essentially must there be more 
variety of stroke, more hard hitting as well as more 
finesse ; and it is just this diversity of attack, this 
spontaneity of action, that appeal to popular fancy. 
** To watch a combined plan of attack developing, to 
notice the different ideas each player has of what will 



134 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 



^ 



best conduce to the common end and their separate 
ways of getting out of a difficulty or securing a stroke 
just at the right moment, to see the ball whizzing to 
and fro in the short space which divides four men all 
close to the net — these things give the double game 
a kind of excitement which to my mind," reflects 
Mr. Wilberforce, ''is lacking in the single game." 

The claims of stamina not being so heavy, it 
follows that the double makes a wider appeal to 
players generally than the single. A man may pre- 
serve his place and power as a doubles exponent 
even when advancing years demand that he should 
relinquish the single, where the necessity for speed and 
mobility is paramount. On the other hand younger 
players, whose physical resources are not impaired, 
will frankly declare their preference for a double — a 
fact to which the subordination of the single at the 
universities and again at many clubs testifies. 

In view of its popularity and perennial pursuit it 
is a matter for comment that the standard of double 
play has not reached a higher level. Unquestion- 
ably this is mainly due to lack of combination and 
mutual understanding between the parties concerned. 
The prevalent custom at most clubs in this country 
is for the members to "pair up" irrespective of style 
and temperament and for each couple to seek salva- 
tion in spite of any previous association on court or 
any practical knowledge of individual capacity. The 
result, more often than not, is a lamentable display of 
incompatibility and a general lowering of the standard 
all round. Even two brilliant single players when 
united on an unfamiliar footing are liable to suffer 
inglorious defeat at the hands of a pair individually 



DOUBLES AND MIXED DOUBLES 135 

much weaker, but possessing that community of 
interests and sympathetic action which experience has 
cultivated and by which alone good fortune can be 
achieved. How true this is the success attending the 
efforts of brothers when playing together demonstrates. 
It is even more conclusively proved in the case of 
twins, where physical and mental affinity is the prime 
factor in their prosperity. One of the chief reasons 
why so many poor double matches are witnessed 
at open tournaments is the predominating presence 
of ''scratch pairs" — hastily formed teams whose 
merits the referee is expected to gauge when handi- 
capping. It sometimes happens that two left-court 
or two right-court players find themselves involuntarily 
thrown together — a handicap that the referee, beset 
by other manifold considerations, cannot perhaps be 
expected to appreciate. But the result of such 
coalition is often painfully exhibited. Of course if a 
competitor goes partnerless to a tournament he must 
take his chances ; he may draw a blank or he may 
draw a prize. I shall never forget on one occasion 
being furnished with a partner who said to me before 
we lost our first round, ** I think I ought to tell you I 
haven't played tennis for ten years and then it was in 
the garden with the children." 

A systematized formation is undoubtedly one of 
the secrets of success in double play. Unless the 
limits of the operating area for each partner are 
defined, any plan of campaign must inevitably fail. 
This does not necessarily mean that each player's 
"sphere of influence" throughout the match is to 
be of equal dimensions but it does mean that the 
shooting shall be restricted to boundaries mutually 



136 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

understood. Nothing is more likely to bring about 
early defeat than unwarranted intrusion ; it affords 
openings which opponents will quickly seize and is 
bound to upset the morale of the side. To get one 
or other of the players out of position is the aim of 
tactical enterprise in doubles ; a foolish excursion into 
your partner's court is only helping the other side. 

As volleying is the Alpha and Omega of the 
double game, the primary instinct of both players 
must be to assume an attacking position at the net. 
The sooner both can rank themselves in parallel 
formation within three or four feet of the net, which 
is the most advantageous volleying line, the greater 
chance have they of bringing the rest to a successful 
issue. It follows, then, that the server's partner 
should make use of his liberty of movement and take 
up his position at once within the prescribed area. 
As a rule he should stand nearer the side-line than 
the centre-line. Not only will he thus give the 
server a clearer view of his objective, which is 
generally ^ his own secret up to the last minute, but 
he will be the better able to guard his own side-line. 
If the server serves from the corner of his court, it is 
more essential still that the partner should have his 
side-line well protected because the oblique direction 
of the service will probably take the receiver well out 
to the left of the man at the net and the former will 
probably essay a clean pass if he sees the slightest 
opening. Conversely, if the server, standing near 
the centre of the base-line, serves down the centre- 

"" ^ The server's partner, like the wicket-keeper, will often be the 
better judge of the " bowling " and may suggest variations in direction 
to the server. 



DOUBLES AND MIXED DOUBLES 137 

/ 
line the server's partner may expect the return to bd 

nearer the centre of the net and consequently, whiH 
still guarding his side-line for eventualities, he wilf 
be prepared to move in towards the centre. The 
direction of the striker-out's return will often decide 
the issue of the rest either one way or the other 
(more often it may be said in favour of the server's 
side) and it is vitally important that the server's 
partner should not be outmanoeuvred at the start. If 
he gets a ball down his side-line low enough to be 
within reach the chances favour a winning shot ; he 
can command a cross-volley which the partner of 
the striker-out will find extremely difficult to handle. 
But nothing can save his side if he gets too near the 
centre and is passed ; whereas if he errs the other 
way there is always the possibility of the server inter- 
cepting the return. 

The server should, of course, follow his service to 
the net and assume the parallel formation already 
advised. He will run up the instant the ball leaves 
his racket, but he must be careful not to make his 
passage a " headlong flight " because proper balance 
at this stage is everything and excessive speed may 
well upset his poise for the return which with good 
confidence he may expect to come in his direction. 
He will certainly have to deal with all returns that 
come across the court and the majority of those that 
come down the centre. He will do well to anticipate 
the short cross return that drops in the ''tram-lines " 
within a few feet of the net. It is a favourite and 
sinister shot of several players and is a most effective 
return. Either it scores outright, the server having 
come up at such a pace and in such direction that he 



138 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

cannot divert his course to intercept it, or it tends to 
draw the server's partner anxiously in the direction of 
the ball, in which case, should the server succeed in 
making a return, the opponents have a ready opening. 
Though the server should aim at gaining a position 
at the net from whence he can volley down, this being 
the essential quality of every scoring volley, it often 
happens that the return catches him at or near his 
feet. This is a target at which the striker-out 
purposely aims and unless the server is a particularly 
adroit low volleyer, like H. L. Doherty, Beals 
Wright or W. V. Eaves, he may congratulate him- 
self if he makes a useful return. The striker-out's 
partner and the striker-out himself will both have 
advanced on the latter's return ; given a soft ball, 
either will instantly smother it. 

The lob-volley is such a difficult stroke to execute 
at all times that its application here, though pertinent 
to the situation, is rarely likely to succeed and a bad 
lob-volley would suffer the fate of all immature lobs. 
The best hope the server has in ''clearing his feet" 
is a low back-hand volley to the forehand of the 
striker-out. I am referring now to the server 
running up from his right-hand court. The majority 
of players are weaker in volleying on their extreme 
forehand, than on their extreme backhand, and if 
the server can succeed in ''stretching" the striker-out 
to the full reach of his racket he may get a weak 
return or, better still, he may pass him. The half- 
volley is both a pretty and a useful stroke in a sudden 
emergency of this kind and when performed with the 
delicacy and deftness of a player like Holcombe 
Ward, who invests it with a break, will sometimes 



DOUBLES AND MIXED DOUBLES 139 

nonplus both opponents. But the perfect accomplish- 
ment of such a guard — for it can only be regarded 
as a guard — requires long practice and experience ; 
except by the expert its attempt generally ends in the 
loss of the ace. 

The responsibility attaching to the receiver of the 
service has already been mentioned. His reply to 
the service is of vital importance and beginners will 
do well to study this aspect of the double game with 
the ofreatest care. The nature of the striker-out's 
return will of course be governed materially by the 
direction of the service, and in a lesser degree by the 
position assumed by the server s partner, of whose 
preliminary movements he will have taken stock. 
There are only four feasible returns to the service — 
the drive down the centre-line, the drive down the 
side-line, the low drive across the court and the lob. 
The efficacy of the drive across the court, especially 
the one which drops the ball on or near the side-line 
and within a few feet of the net, has been noted. It 
is a favourite return off a slow second service and 
when neatly timed and directed may be accounted a 
winning ace. It can be made both from the back- 
hand and the forehand court with equal effect ; the 
lower it passes over the net, of course, the better. 
The drive down the centre is the most common 
return of all ; it is the most convenient as well as the 
safest return. Its popularity is such that the server 
generally regulates his movements accordingly — an 
adequate reason why it should not be employed too 
often. Variation in the return of the service, as in 
the service itself, should be assiduously practised. 
The best doubles players judiciously mix their returns. 



140 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

It is the only way to keep the opponents in a state of 
suspense and force them to reveal their weaknesses. 

The lob, as we have seen in previous chapters, is 
a most valuable weapon in match play and in modern 
doubles the ability to use the high toss effectively 
must be regarded as indispensable. The Americans, 
Holcombe Ward in particular, have developed the art 
of lobbing into a cult and though the Dohertys and 
S. H. Smith on this side of the Atlantic are masters 
in the execution of this stroke, English players, as a 
body, are inferior " lobbers " to the players in the 
States. Considered as a return to the service, the 
lob must only be an alternative stroke; to use it too 
frequently in this connexion is to impair that variety 
of return so essential if the opponents are not to be 
allowed to systematize their attack. Following a 
successful side-line pass or a cross-drive that scores 
by sheer speed alone, a lob may be effectively 
employed, even off the second service, because both 
the server and his partner, remembering their 
previous misfortune, will probably be anticipating a 
second effort in the same direction — a toss will 
surprise them. As a rule, the receiver of the service 
should lob over the head of the server's partner and 
aim to drop in the corner, as near the base-line as 
possible. The lob should of course be high enough 
to prevent the man at the net from jumping up on 
his toes and smashing it ; but the advice to lob inor- 
dinately high off the service should be qualified by the 
reflection that the longer the ball is in the air the more 
time will both opponents have to get back to handle it. 
Some remarks on lobbing will be found elsewhere.^ 

^ See page 123. 



DOUBLES AND MIXED DOUBLES 141 

The need for a combined retrogression in event 
of either opponent lobbing may be insisted upon. 
The parallel formation again applies, for it is evident 
that if only one man retires the advancing opponents 
have a wide opening which they cannot fail to utilize. 
Generally speaking, the player over whose head the 
ball is lobbed should be responsible for the next 
return ; especially should this be so in the case of a 
tossed reply to the service. It is fatal for the server's 
partner to rely on the ability of the server to get 
behind his back ; such a conception of the server's 
functions is contrary to sound tactics. Unless the 
lob has particularly good length and is adroitly placed, 
it should be possible, more often than not, for the 
player at the net to step quickly back and smash 
the dropping ball. When an overhead volley is out 
of the question — and practice alone will accurately 
gauge possibilities — the player will have to race to 
put the ball between himself and the net. His 
return will probably take the form of another lob and 
he will then do well to toss as high as he possibly 
can, for both his opponents will be strongly entrenched 
to deal mercilessly with the short lob. Running back 
to deal with the high bounding lob on the base-line, 
Beals Wright sometimes executes a remarkably effec- 
tive stroke, the cultivation of which by other players 
is certainly to be commended. It takes the form of 
a low cut drive made with a vertical racket and, aimed 
low between the two opponents anticipating another 
lob, is a brilliant scoring shot. 

A word to the novice. Endeavour to compre- 
hend the trigonometry of the court. Display a pre- 
ference for the diagonal volley rather than the volley 



142 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

that runs parallel to the side-lines. The low cross- 
volley with both opponents at the back of the court 
is much more effective than the reckless smash that 
runs the risk of being picked up on the rebound. 
And remember this cross-volley can be made both 
with the vertical and the horizontal racket. If there 
is no visible opening for a smash, it is better to 
smash at the nearest opponent and to aim at his 
feet ; but in nearly every case the smash should have 
a diagonal direction. And bear in mind Baddeley's 
advice : " If one's partner is not absolutely sure that 
he will be able to kill a return, but of which he is 
certain of making such a good stroke that his oppon- 
ents must put up an easy shot to his partner, he must 
always make the shot which will lead to his partner 
killing the return with certainty rather than run the 
risk of trying to effect the kill himself." 

Mixed doubles, with which I do not propose to 
deal at any length, may be said at the present time 
to be undergoing a process of evolution. The final 
result of their development is to come. Ladies' play 
has shown such remarkable advance in every depart- 
ment of recent years that the time cannot be distant 
when a similarity between the formation and methods 
employed in a mixed double and those in a men's 
double will be the rule rather than the exception. 
Just as the underhand service for the lady has been 
abandoned in favour of the overhead, so the smash 
for the feminine votary will come more into vogue. 
Each season brings more lady volleyers to the front. 
Their value is incontestably proved in ladies' doubles, 
wherein a revolution is also taking place ; and the con- 
fidence and skill which ladies gain in that department 



DOUBLES AND MIXED DOUBLES 143 

of the game will be reproduced in mixed doubles. 
For executing those short delicate volleys with which 
a high-class mixed double abounds several ladies 
have demonstrated a natural aptitude — a considera- 
tion quite apart from the vigour with which many of 
them can now smash. Some of us may not live to 
see the equality of the sexes in the single game ! In 
mixed doubles it is on the eve of arrival. It follows 
then that any suggestions offered in respect to men's 
doubles are applicable to mixed doubles — in their 
latest and prospectively permanent form. Ladies 
will doubtless still continue to play from the back of 
the court — those that never will become good volleyers 
may be advised not to attempt the change— and men 
will still continue to exhaust themselves in practising 
the art of judicious poaching. But the ranks of both 
will gradually dwindle. 

Unless the man is a good volleyer he might as 
well retire from the mixed double altogether — I am 
assuming there is a capable volleyer on the other side 
of the court. As an alert volleyer he will find excel- 
lent sport for his racket. He will quickly discover that 
the mixed double (as at the moment more generally 
played) presents new features of attack and defence ; 
there is a wide field for strategy and what is express- 
ively called '' bluff." But the bait must be cautiously 
set, for very often the lady discloses a lively sense of 
anticipation and is in no mood to be trapped. Ladies 
to whom any opening is good enough for a return 
may sometimes be caught dowm the side-lines by a 
feint towards the centre of the net, but the man has 
to show remarkable agility to get back in time. It 
is well, I think, for the man-volleyer to keep nearer 



144 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

the service-line than the net during the rest unless he 
is advancing to kill a soft return. He will find that 
he has continually to step back to handle short lobs, 
as well as to dart to either side to volley returns 
within possible range. If he make his "base" too 
near the net his movements cannot be so profitable. 
But he should beware of attempting too much. 
Even if he gets to the ball and robs his partner of a 
return from the base-line, he may only achieve a 
volley that makes it comparatively easy for either of 
his opponents to drop a ball short into the unguarded 
region. While there is nothing more effective in a 
mixed double than a sudden lunge, especially as a 
counter to the return of the service, energy has to be 
judiciously expended. The lady might have made 
as good or even a better return. 

The man should carefully nurse his stamina in 
the early stage ; he may want all his reserve strength 
in the third set. At the same time there is nothing 
like a good hustle from the start provided it can be 
maintained until the other side is thoroughly de- 
moralised. There is more to be done with the lady's 
return of the service than many men imagine, or at 
least attempt. Put forth all you know to win your 
lady opponent's service game — it is often the key to 
the situation. If the man has anything approaching 
a good service he may reasonably expect to win that 
game and provided he is keenly alert and enterprising 
he may also hope to win his partner's service game. 
His male opponent's service game he will not calculate 
to carry ; hence the importance of striving for the 
third game in four. As a return of the lady's service 
he will find the side-line, often insecurely covered by 



DOUBLES AND MIXED DOUBLES 145 

the man at the net (who is inclined to guard the 
centre) a tempting opening, but a safer return is a 
low drive across the court. From the left-handed 
court this shot, if low and true and aimed at the lady's 
backhand, will more often than not yield a return 
that can be successfully killed. Another very useful 
return when the lady is serving is a short cross 
shot that drops near the post. But the angle must 
be very fine to evade the ** sharp-shooter" at the net. 
When the man is serving this drop stroke may be 
more confidently employed. 



10 



CHAPTER XI 

DIET AND TRAINING 

Good condition more important than consummate skill — Why the 
veteran frequently beats the man under thirty — The lungs as the body's 
engine — The blood's vital element found in the most simple diet — 
Necessary diet — Influence of climate on condition — Fencing a good 
adjunct — Ordinary fitness and sporting fitness : ought there to be a 
difference ? — Bad effects of the heavy lunch — Drinking between matches 
— The universal popularity of tea — What should a player drink during 
a match ? — The example of champions — Sleep a sovereign necessity — 
Ventilation — Regular play 

TRAINING in a rigorous athletic sense does 
not commend itself very forcibly to the 
lawn tennis player. Perhaps if more atten- 
tion were devoted to the preparation of the mind 
and the body before an important match we should 
not witness, as we so often do, the physical and 
nervous collapse of a man who has voluntarily set 
himself a task requiring great endurance and con- 
centration. Skill and tactics may go a long way 
towards victory, but they do not go as far as condi- 
tion. Cases innumerable might be cited where 
players, pitted against men inferior to them in the 
variety of stroke at command and in the grace and 
effect with which these strokes are executed, have 
been slowly but steadily worn down and beaten out 

of court because their stamina failed at a crucial 

146 



DIET AND TRAINING 147 

moment. It must not be supposed that age is 
always the governing factor. Many veterans, aided 
no doubt by that habit which experience cultivates 
of conserving their strength, of not permitting it 
to be prematurely exhausted in a sequence of un- 
necessary smashes and fast services, will often show 
less signs of fatigue at the close of a strenuous 
match than a player on the right side of thirty. 
And it has always been acknowledged in the lawn 
tennis world that grey hairs in court are usually 
the sign of abnormal energy. Just as grey trousers 
may often conceal a pair of legs that are phenomen- 
ally alert, so may grey hairs cover a head that is 
full of labour-saving devices — a head that frequently 
evolves some scheme which leads to the undoing, 
timely or untimely, of the spirited youngster. After 
all, the longer a man can retain a racket in his 
hand and compete at open tournaments the more 
certain is it that he has discovered the secret of 
consistently sound condition, and is pursuing a 
regime dictated not so much by medical science or 
text-book precept as by practical common sense and 
a personal study of cause and effect. In this con- 
nexion I venture to quote a letter addressed to me 
by a well-known consulting practitioner whose practice 
has brought him into contact with many athletes and 
lovers of games. 

{^Letter from Dr. Dabbs to the Author^ 

"■ Dear Myers, — You ask me what are diet and 
training to the lawn tennis player. Well : you pretty 
well know my views about training ; that what is 
good for the body is good for condition, and that 



148 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

simple, good food (and plenty of it) with bland 
unirritating fluids constitute the primary dietetics of 
that condition. I rather hesitate to specialize as to 
this much-talked-of 'condition,' because it should be 
not a specialism but the rule of life. 

*' However I will tell you my views in a few 
maxims : 

** I. To compass a great task which never must 
be a great strain all muscles must be gradually pre- 
pared, and the heart is a muscle. 

'' 2. To make preparation and performance easy, 
what suits the stomach, as easy of digestion, suits 
the preparation for the task, and the stomach is a 
tyrant. 

*' 3. In mechanical engines free lubrication and 
the avoidance of heated bearings go together as 
precautionary measures for easy working. The lungs 
are the body's engine and the lungs want all possible 
attention. Their carbon or fuel comes from the 
blood, therefore the blood must contain fuel-elements 
and the heart as the stoker * slumbers not nor sleeps.' 

*'4. You need, then, blood -food put into the 
blood which it can distribute to the muscles and the 
lungs as the middleman of supply and distribution ; 
the wholesale agent is the stomach, the retailers the 
other organs concerned in digestion. The dustman 
or waste-remover is needed : and this is shared by 
the excretory organs. 

" 5. As the highest culture involves a sense of 
proportion so the higher bodily efficacy involves the 
perfection of balance — balance as to supply and waste. 
The riddle is (and a very soluble one it is) how to 
adjust food, select food, supply food — distribution 



DIET AND TRAINING 149 

Is the blood's work — and then how to help the skin, 
secure the due and proper action of the bowels and 
assist the kidneys to perform their functions. The 
blood distributes the materials for nutrition. We 
have so to regulate our lives that these materials 
are properly used. The equipoise Is 'condition.' 

"6. The aesthetics of food are over when we 
have swallowed. Believe me that very accurate and 
discriminating chemist, the blood, despises vintages, 
thinks very little of high living and altogether dis- 
owns luxury as a sine qua non. The blood has 
elementary and fundamental first principles and to 
first principles he reduces all that Is sent him by 
the stomach to 'sample.' His labelling is extremely 
simple. He will find his vital elements in the most 
ordinary diet. You may tickle your palate with all 
sorts of expensive things and yet their value to him 
Is only as to how far he can find in them his vital 
elements when all the organs concerned in digestion 
have retailed their residues. He wastes nothing of 
value : you do that beforehand and he is out of that 
wasteful competition. 

"7. Now what shall you send to that wholesaler, 
the stomach, to distribute to the retail shops — the 
other organs concerned in digestion. That is the 
puzzle. The perpetual customer is the blood. He 
wants all from them that is of value to him : what 
Is valueless he says ' No, thank you ' to. And the 
retail shops only receive what they are ordained to 
'handle.' There is no waste in Nature: waste is 
man's patent. 

"8. Before I deal briefly with foods let me 
digress thus far to say that to compass condition 



ISO THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

the teeth, eyes, ears, and breathing apparatus must 
be known to be in good order. Rotten teeth, mal- 
adjusted vision, wax-loaded ears and nasal defects 
which render proper breathing impossible all need 
primary, and never perfunctory attention. So too 
the hygiene of our houses must be good and especi- 
ally the air-supply of our bedrooms. These vital 
matters settled and we can then proceed to consider 
other things. 

*'9. I say nothing of the food a well-to-do or 
wealthy amateur may take for the purpose of training, 
for I am more concerned to make ' condition ' within 
the food-reach of all. And so I will only note what 
I consider necessary and within the power of any 
man's pocket to obtain. Tea, bread, butter, ham, 
fresh meat, potatoes, cabbage, cheese. There are 
the necessaries. These can be varied with porridge, 
milk, oatmeal, broth, meat, green food, bread and 
butter and the changes rung between the two. In 
our climate it is not every man who could train on a 
vegetable diet, but it is done and well done by one 
man at least as we all know ! 

*' lo. I have mentioned climate and it must be 
remembered that climate has its own claims to 
notice. Train in Northumberland or Norfolk and 
then suddenly and without climatic preparation try 
and play in Nice or at Homburg and it would mean 
a very unusual man to be at his best in such sudden 
transition. 

*'ii. For great tasks and a set ordeal of any 
kind (lawn tennis included) the law is uniform. 
There may be variations as to specific muscle- 
training, and no doubt the walker and the lawn 



DIET AND TRAINING 151 

tennis player would go on to special and divergent 
loop-lines at a point of their training. But the law 
of the body is inexorably the same as to the main 
issues of demand on rules of health. For most men 
preparing for ordeals of a severe kind alcohol is 
unnecessary, smoking is unwise and early hours are 
essential, early at each end of the day I mean. I 
have a great addiction to the recommending of 
fencing as an adjunct for all training. I know no 
other exercise which so trains nerve, eye and muscle 
and no similar pastime for keeping the skin supple 
and in perfect order. I have every belief in the 
Sandow exercises for arm - suppleness and the 
increasing of reach and I do not think I could 
speak too highly of the properly managed Turkish 
bath. — Yours sincerely, 

George H. R. Dabbs, M.D. 
*' London, E.C. 
November, 1 997 " 

It will be observed that Dr. Dabbs treats this 
question of training from Nature's standpoint. Ex- 
perience in lawn tennis, as in other games, has shown 
that the man or woman who observes with due care 
Nature's simplest rules for health is better able to 
undertake a strenuous five-set match than the player 
who makes use of some quack specific in quest of 
temporary fitness. Some eminent exponents, notably 
H. L. Doherty, owe a large measure of their success 
not only to the fact that they are fit during the pro- 
gress of a match, but that their mode of living, 
prompted doubtless by an even temperament, requires 
them to undergo little if any strict training. They 



152 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

keep perennially fit by rarely exposing themselves to 
undermining influences which make absolute fitness 
so difficult to maintain and which, sooner or later, if 
pursued, must exercise a baneful effect on a man's 
game. On the other hand, there are a few happy- 
go-lucky players — Pim was one and the Aliens are 
others — who can apparently treat training even in a 
modified form with contempt — players who seem to 
shape just as brilliantly in court whether they have 
been lunching on lobster and champagne or whether 
(as in the case of Pim) they had come straight from a 
severe mental strain. Between these two extremes — 
the man whose temperament and habits are such that 
he is always ''trained" and the ** brilliant exception" 
— is the mass of ordinarily constituted players liable 
to contract all the ills to which flesh is heir and re- 
quiring certain definite rules of living. 

As to food I have given the common - sense 
medical view. Here is another opinion,^ that of 
Mr. C. B. Fry, whose physical efficiency has been 
so great a factor in his consistent success : 

"With regard to food and fitness, nothing," says 
Mr. Fry, '' is worse than faddiness or the kind of 
absurdity that prescribes this or that as best for train- 
ing beyond the limit of ordinary common sense. But 
food is vital. Look what effect, correct or incorrect, 
feeding has on a horse. You can no more keep a 
man fit for games on pastry and highly spiced French 
dishes than you can keep a hunter fit to go on cake 
and grass. Quality and amount of food matter to 
the last degree. But John Porter fed Ormonde on 
the same kind of best oats as any Master of Hounds 

* JF'rys Magazine^ November 1907. 



DIET AND TRAINING 153 

gives to his hunt horses. No man can improve on 
plain English fare such as boys have at any school 
where they are well done, or as we find in the right 
kind of farmhouse. There is no trickery in training 
diet for horse or man. Plain, simple digestible food 
and the right amount of meat, covers all secrets for 
the man. The more exercise a man takes the more 
meat he can properly do with, just as a horse in hard 
work can do with more corn than when out of it. But 
there is a limit. The commonest of errors in diet is 
to suppose that because meat makes muscle, the more 
meat the more muscle, which is obviously absurd. I 
believe the test is simple. If you do not feel heavy 
and sleepy after a meal, but, while satisfied, still bright 
and quick in the head, you have about hit the right 
amount of meat, though I believe that most men are 
the better for eating no meat one day a week. Nearly 
everyone eats far too much meat for ordinary as well 
as for sporting fitness : of that I am quite convinced. 
But except that the amount of meat may be slightly 
increased, there is no diet that is best for ordinary life 
and for the strictest training." 

How frequently one hears the plaint from tourna- 
ment competitors, *' I am never at my best after 
lunch " ; and the truth of this statement is frequently 
demonstrated by the slack and erratic form dis- 
played by the speaker. The explanation is simple. 
The player has swallowed an indigestible meal and 
hurried on to court to engage in hard physical exercise. 
Referees at a big meeting, where each competitor 
must regard himself as part of an organized machine 
that has to fulfil certain functions in a fixed period, 
are frequently obliged to curtail a player's luncheon 



154 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

interval — sometimes it is cut as short as half an hour. 
In this case the player does a very unwise thing if 
he tackles the complete menu in the luncheon tent. 
Tournament caterers contract to provide luncheons 
at so much a head, usually half-a-crown, and their 
conception of a competitor's requirements rarely 
soars higher than cold meats, potatoes, salads and 
tomatoes, a choice of two fruit tarts, with cheese, 
butter and bread. Though it may be an inequitable 
expedient, I have found it very serviceable when one 
match follows close on another to select the subsidiary 
items on the bill of fare and leave the principals alone. 
That is, to take the salads and the tomatoes, the bread, 
butter and cheese and the fruit from under the pie- 
crust. 

Again, it frequently happens that a man goes into 
court at twelve o'clock for a struggle which does not 
finish until nearly two. By that time he has naturally 
cultivated a prodigious appetite. The temptation is to 
appease the craving for food by an equally prodigious 
meal. At three the referee's megaphone may summon 
the well - stoked warrior to his next battle. The 
chances are that he feels slack and sleepy, more 
inclined for a basket chair than for another hard 
physical bout. In order to minimize the effects of 
"running over" the regulation meal hour, it is a good 
plan to eat a dry biscuit or two before the lengthy 
morning match. In hot weather, especially in ener- 
vating centres abroad, snacks taken judiciously at 
proper intervals will often sustain the hard-worked 
competitor throughout the day and leave him in much 
better form to enjoy the substantial evening meal. A 
more economical plan is to bring lunch with you and 



DIET AND TRAINING 155 

consume it in the privacy of the pavilion. Raw fruit, 
especially apples, the juice of which has sustaining 
qualities, will, I think, be found very beneficial. I 
have in my mind a well-known player nearing the 
veteran stage who, though certainly not a vegetarian, 
rarely eats a meat lunch before a match, confining 
his repast to some of those simple commodities I 
have mentioned. 

Plain water or at most a simple table water like 
Perrier is the safest, and to my mind the most effica- 
cious drink during the actual progress of a tournament. 
Many players close the day's work with a whisky- 
and-soda, others treat themselves to the luxury of 
champagne : I would not presume to say there is 
definite harm in this. But I am more and more 
convinced that the indiscriminate drinking after every 
match and between matches — especially the consump- 
tion of spirits which subsequently tend to lower the 
vitality, and of such Continental concoctions as iced 
coffee which are ruinous to the eye — is a mistake. 
Habit is, of course, a slave in this matter and the 
etiquette of tournament tennis requires that the victor 
and the vanquished shall repair to the refreshment 
bar after the battle is over and that the former shall 
do the honours. Nothing can be said against this 
practice which is typical of British sportsmanship and 
on that account, if on no other, unworthy of reproach. 
But it sometimes tends to make a man desert his 
better judgment. That may tell him that his form 
in his next tie will be improved if he does not drink 
at all. On the Continent the custom of ''standing- 
drinks to the loser " is followed to a more limited 
degree. At some tournaments the foreigner, though 



156 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

he may shake hands in a perfunctory manner, picks 
up his coat and goes off to join his friends before you 
have pulled down your sleeves. He neither waits 
to honour you with his company and hospitality if 
he has won, or to receive a toast at your hands if he 
has lost. To an Englishman competing in a foreign 
tournament for the first time this summary withdrawal 
from the scene of friendly combat is strange and some- 
times embarrassing. He mentally questions the pro- 
priety of stalking his man and (if innocent of the 
latter s language) pointing meaningly to the bar. This 
digression must not be regarded as a criticism of the 
foreigner's manners on court. In matters of courtesy 
he will sometimes give points to the visitor and his 
hospitality on the larger scale is too well-known to 
need emphasis. But I think we may take it that the 
drinking-with-your-opponent habit is of British origin 
or at any rate of British cultivation. 

Tea has ever been the favourite drink for tennis 
players. I am not sure that lawn tennis does not owe 
much of its popularity to tea and certainly no other 
game in its social aspect is so intimately and so in- 
dissolubly associated with what Dr. Johnson called 
*' the infusion of a fascinating plant.'* It was *'tea 
and tennis " that provided the country hostess of the 
early eighties with a novel and alliterative excuse for 
organizing a garden party ; tea that has called the 
welcome halt to many a perspiring and somewhat 
frivolous engagement on the private lawn ; over tea 
in the open air that perfect bliss comes to the victor 
and the remorse of the vanquished loses its initial 
poignancy. Of the several factors that have caused 
tea to become popular at all foreign resorts, the lawn 



DIET AND TRAINING I57 

tennis tournament is certainly one of the main. In 
Sweden many of the younger players make a midday 
meal off tea and its light accompaniments, and though 
this is a practice not to be commended for the sterner 
work of English meetings, yet the principle of the 
lighter lunch deserves recognition. 

What should a player drink during a long match ? 
In nine cases out of ten the answer is "nothing 
at all." This opinion is endorsed by nearly every 
champion who has fought and won protracted tussles. 
**When playing," says W. Baddeley, ** dispense with 
any kind of refreshment unless it is an absolute 
necessity. However, if a stimulant is required, I 
have found nothing answer better than a cup of 
warm (not hot) tea, or a little iced water with a dash 
of brandy in it." The Dohertys speak in the same 
(tea) strain. " Do not drink," the5^ declare. ** If 
you must drink take some simple drink like oatmeal- 
water or tea." H. W. W. Wilberforce would even 
taboo the swallowing of any liquid. '' It is far better 
not to drink at all during a match but simply to rinse 
out the mouth with strong brandy and water." 

Some men automatically send the ball-boy for a 
drink after the third set. First-class American 
players have been known to consume three cups of 
tea during the later stages of a gruelling match. 
A. W. Gore on '' state occasions " has revived his 
energies through the medium of champagne. I once 
played against an elderly man who ceremoniously 
laid a big bar of chocolate on the umpire's ladder ; 
each time we crossed over he would saw off a piece 
with his racket and consume it during the next game. 
But only once have I seen either of the Dohertys 



158 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

take any refreshment during a match ; it was a sure 
sign that something quite unusual was wrong. In 
never drinking between the rests, the Dohertys have 
demonstrated the practical value of the habit. 

Adequate sleep is a sovereign necessity in training. 
It is a trite statement, but nothing so soon upsets a 
man called upon to use his eyes and his limbs than 
curtailed sleep. The best time to sleep is between 
II p.m. and 7 a.m., and before an important match I 
even counsel the player to turn in as early as 10 p.m. 
Some men seem capable of dancing through the 
small hours and appearing in court about eleven in 
the morning outwardly none the worse for the snack 
of slumber they have obtained. But how many 
cases are there not where dancing men have gone out 
of the lists quickly and ingloriously on the morrow 
of the ball ? Late hours and lawn tennis have 
never blended well. Needless to say, the ventilation 
of the bedroom is of the utmost importance, as is 
the ventilation of the railway carriage. The hygienic 
enthusiast — he was a tennis tourist — who never 
engaged a bedroom at a hotel without insisting that 
the bed should be moved near the window, always 
open wide, had wisdom on his side, while habit had 
made him immune from cold. In stopping at an 
urban hotel, it is always advisable to select the 
tramless side of the house, provided there are not 
noisier trains in that half. Likewise, do not fail to 
inquire of the manager whether dinner at night is 
more or less a movable feast. Otherwise you may 
return hungry and tired in the evening to discover 
that everything is off except cold meat and cheese. 

Finally, I would say there is nothing better for 



DIET AND TRAINING 159 

getting into good condition and for keeping fit than 
regular play. By this I do not mean participating 
every week in tournaments or playing every day. 
Three hard sets a day, on four days of the week, 
to give Baddeley's precept, is a wise rule, as well 
as a safeguard against the demon of staleness. And 
one week's comparative rest after two tournaments 
is also desirable. It is especially so for ladies, 
who were never intended to go on week after week 
wielding a racket in nerve-straining and exhausting 
competitions. 



CHAPTER XII 

POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 

Why open meetings make their appeal — Selecting a suitable date — 
Committees and their duties — What is expected of a referee — Some of 
his trials and tribulations — Desirability of an order of play — The 
one-man-in-control method — How it works at Homburg — The duties 
of the competitor — The equipment of an open tournament — How the 
courts should be marked out and fitted up — The question of balls — Are 
there too many prize meetings ? — Players and their prizes — The practice 
of " seeding the draw " : Should it be sanctioned or vetoed ? — The 
chances of competitors relatively considered — Umpires and linesmen 

NOTHING has advertised the popularity of 
lawn tennis so much as the ever-increasing 
volume of open prize meetings. Clubs 
may come and clubs may go, championships may be 
captured by foreign hands and the Davis Cup may 
make a journey to the uttermost ends of the earth, 
but as long as there are grounds upon which tourna- 
ments may be held, enterprising men to run them, 
and players of both sexes to fill the lists, the game 
will continue to make its appeal to the public. 
Indeed, if tournaments have done nothing else, they 
have proved that lawn tennis is a spectacular pastime 
capable of drawing crowds, of generating excitement 
and of compelling the man in the street to recognize 
its claims. In a first-class double between experts, 
such as most open meetings provide, you have all 

i6o 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 16 1 

the elements calculated to appeal to the healthy- 
sporting instincts of a British crowd — consummate 
skill and physical efficiency, almost direct personal 
contact of the players, generalship, the subtle employ- 
ment of finesse and coup, a climax and a definite 
finish. You have continual movement ; you have 
dramatic effect ; you have the knowledge that both 
sides are always striving to win — a conviction that 
inspires confidence. 

Now, as this chapter is included mainly to give 
information I will suppose the committee of a new 
and flourishing club have decided to hold an open 
prize meeting or that a coterie of gentlemen anxious 
to promote the well-being of a popular resort have 
come to the .conclusion that a lawn tennis tournament 
would add to the civic attractions. Before any 
organizing steps can be taken it is necessary for the 
club or committee to become affiliated to the Lawn 
Tennis Association, for the simple reason that no 
player would be allowed to compete at any open 
meeting in the United Kingdom not sanctioned by 
the governing body. It is also essential to have the 
proposed date of the meeting ratified by the L.T.A. 
In this respect initial difficulties may arise. From 
the middle of May until the middle of September 
every week or section of a week is appropriated 
either by one tournament or by several — in the first 
week in August as many as eight open meetings are 
running simultaneously. To squeeze into this 
crowded field it is therefore necessary to choose 
some date which does not clash with a neighbouring 
meeting ; for the L.T.A. would be bound to recognize 

the protest of a committee resenting an incursion 
II 



1 62 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

into its preserves. Even as the fixture list is at 
present arranged it may be doubted whether the 
sphere of influence of some old-established meetings 
is adequately respected. Of course the best date is 
that which immediately precedes or follows that of 
a neighbouring tournament ; patrons of the one will 
naturally be drawn to the other. 

The importance of having good men at the head 
of a tournament cannot be over-estimated. I am 
not now referring to the referee, who does not arrive 
on the scene until the eve of the meeting, but to the 
secretary and his executive committee. Some of the 
most successful tournaments I have visited abroad 
have been engineered and controlled by one man, 
and though different methods are employed and 
generally a larger clientele has to be considered in 
this country I am all in favour of centralizing authority 
as much as possible. A string of names — especially 
if an occasional title can be introduced — may look 
very well on a prospectus or a programme, but it 
will generally be found that seventy per cent, of 
these gentlemen are mere figureheads ; the bulk of 
the organizing work falls on the shoulders of three 
or four zealous officials. The ideal working com- 
mittee is probably composed of a secretary who 
exercises the functions of commander-in-chief; a 
treasurer who deals with all the accounts, receives the 
gate-money and the seat-money at the close of each 
day's play, collects competitors' entrance fees and 
furnishes them with receipts, pays the ball-boys and 
generally controls the financial side of the meeting ; 
a gentleman whose duty it is to preside at the ball- 
tent and control the supply of balls to the ball-boys 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 163 

— carriers, who unless strongly kept in hand may- 
prove a source of much annoyance and some 
waste ; a gentleman who stands by the referee and, 
like the watchman at a fire-station, keeps a constant 
look-out over the whole playing arena, giving the 
word immediately there is a vacant court ; and three 
or four other officials whose work consists chiefly 
of finding umpires, seeking out competitors, per- 
sonally conducting them to the court assigned 
for their combat and generally assisting the referee 
to keep the programme moving efficiently and 
expeditiously. 

Zealous and willing as the executive committee 
should be, it is essential they should give the pro- 
fessional referee, who is virtually the tournament 
manager, a perfectly free hand, deferring to his 
judgment whenever necessary. The players have 
more respect for his commands than they have for 
any other official on the ground, and his long ex- 
perience and intimate knowledge of the idiosyncrasies 
of the leading competitors invests him with an 
authority which committee-men cannot exercise. 
Indeed, how much committees and players generally 
owe to the referee it would be impossible to say. 
A man whose work is never done, who before one 
tournament is through is busy with the next, who 
may be required to sit up half the night allotting 
handicaps and classifying competitors, who journeys 
as far and as often as a commercial traveller, who 
is expected to be the embodiment of cheerfulness 
and courtesy every moment of the meeting, who has 
to snatch at his meals between the intervals of his 
exacting labours and frequently to subsist on a 



1 64 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

sandwich and a whisky-and-soda covertly consumed, 
who must be prepared to add to his regular duties 
those of *' confessor," mediator in personal disputes, 
philosopher and money-lender, who must have a 
faultless memory for faces, abundant resource and a 
warm regard for the virtues of the English climate. 
Such are only some of the qualifications required by 
a modern referee. 

Deciding points of law is the least of his prescribed 
duties ; the really onerous part of his work comes 
under the following heads, as Mr. F. R. Burrow in 
an illuminating article^ points out : — 

*' First, getting the tournament 'through,' which, 
in a * three-day rush,' is a matter demanding an 
inconsiderable amount of management. Secondly, 
displeasing as little as possible (a) the committee, 
(d) the spectators, and (c) the competitors. The 
committee must have it borne in upon them that, 
were it not for the invaluable assistance they are 
affording, the whole thing would be a lugubrious 
and ghastly failure. The spectators must be pro- 
vided with the matches they most desire to see, at 
the time when they most desire to see them, and on 
the courts where they can see them most comfortably. 
The competitors must be conciliated ; and if necessity 
ordains that their match is to be played on a court 
they consider a bad one, they must be promised a 
good one for their next game ; allowed to go and 
have lunch exactly when they want it ; not put on to 
play directly after lunch ; permitted to catch the 5.30 
this afternoon and to come by the 11.47 to-morrow 
morning ; given occasionally a day off to go and get 

1 Lawn Tennis and Badminton. 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 165 

married ; and never, never, never, except in the most 
dire circumstances and when the referee is in his 
darkest moods, scratched." 

'' But besides these more obvious duties, the 
referee is expected (by the majority of competitors) 
to provide them with postcards, pens, pencils, 
telegraph forms, safety-pins, information as to the 
dates of all future tournaments and entry forms for 
the same, soda-water, cigarettes and indeed every 
likely and unlikely thing desired of players. I re- 
member once a fair competitor coming and asking 
me if I could lend her an elastic band. I produced 
one, but it was said to be *'too small." A larger 
one gave satisfaction, and she departed with it. But 
I have never been able to understand to this day, 
why she should have come back to the tent a minute 
later to tell me she wanted it to fasten her sleeve up 
with. And I never got it back. 

''The referee's tent, moreover, is made a reposi- 
tory for rackets, ' owe-40 ' coats, umbrellas, cameras, 
* clean ' balls and shoes ; and his table, with its 
neatly arranged diagram of courts and pinned out 
programme, is made to serve as a seat for lady com- 
petitors, who perch upon the front edge of it and 
make helpful and interesting remarks over a shapely 
shoulder. It is the referee's duty to explain to the 
' crack ' man, who never deigns to look at a programme 
but comes up on the morning of the second day with, 
' I say, can't I play (the next best man) now ? ' that 
Providence and the exigencies of the * gate ' have 
prevented the two meeting till about three o'clock 
on the last afternoon of the tournament, and to repeat 
this information at intervals until the actual time for 



1 66 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

the match arrives, when each of the finalists will 
probably want to know why he can't play his Mixed 
Double. It is also a most important part of the 
referee's duty to see that every lady competitor, so 
long as she remains in that event, gets one round of 
Ladies' Doubles every day. It will not be for lack 
of reminders if he does not see that this is done ; for 
if two ladies come into his tent at the same time it 
is almost ten to one that their first words, spoken in 
chorus, will be, * Can't we play our Ladies' Doubles ? ' 
I have never fully understood whether this desire to 
play Ladies' Doubles arises from a passionate delight 
in that form of the game, or from a mere desire to 
get it over and done with ; but the innovation, at a 
recent private tournament, that all ladies were obliged 
to go up and volley, would certainly ruin the event 
from the referee's point of view. As it is, he knows 
that when he has put a Ladies' Double on to court 
he need bother himself no further about that court 
for an hour and a half ; that four players will be quite 
happy, feeling they are at least getting their money's 
worth ; and that one more umpire will be proudly 
conscious that he has indeed made great strides 
forward towards the umpire's prize." 

While on the subject of referees it may be 
desirable to devote a little space to the varying 
methods employed by these indispensable officials 
for bringing their tournaments to a successful issue. 
I am bound to say that the perfect system has not 
yet been discovered or if it has it has not yet been 
put into practice ; and it seems to me, speaking 
generally, that the management of the modern prize 
meeting is conducted rather on lines of temporary 




THE REFEREE MARKING UP RESULTS AT LES AVANTS, SWITZERLAND 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 167 

expedience and makeshift design than on a systematic 
plan carefully conceived and carried out. Take the 
case of the competitor desiring to know whom he is 
to play and when he is to play. By purchasing a 
threepenny programme as he enters the ground he 
can doubtless ascertain the name of his opponent 
in the first round, but if more than one round is 
decided in one day he has no means of finding out 
the first of these material facts unless he goes to the 
referee and puts him to the trouble of referring to 
previous results. The simple remedy — and I wonder 
it is not more generally adopted at English meetings, 
as it is at practically every tournament abroad — is to 
have a notice-board reserved for competitors and on 
that to paste loose sheets from the programme, care 
being taken to ** repeat " on this board every result 
as it comes in. So with regard to an *' Order of play." 
I believe Mr. H. S. Scrivener has recently introduced 
this much-needed reform at his tournaments, thus 
conferring a precious boon on all competitors, besides 
adding materially to his own comfort ; but at the 
majority of English meetings it is often impossible 
for the competitor to ascertain approximately when 
he or she may be required to go into court. At small 
holiday tournaments where the bulk of the players 
are on the ground at the same time and have nothing 
else to do but to sit about in the sun and await their 
turn, the absence of any preconceived programme 
does not matter ; but at the big urban meetings, 
where business men are concerned and where trains 
have to be fitted in and other appointments considered, 
it seems to me highly desirable that some attempt at 
drawing out a rough programme should be made. 



1 68 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

Even If the announcement were confined to the order 
of play for the first hour of the day and to the 
occupation of the courts immediately after lunch it 
would be some guide to the mystified competitor, 
while it would certainly prove helpful to the ''gallery " 
which has a right to know what it is going to get 
for its money. At Wimbledon, by the way, the 
excellent plan is now adopted of publishing a list of 
the chief matches in one or two daily papers each 
morning — a publicity device that is carried out with 
much success at the Riviera meetings. 

There are difficulties in the way of anticipating 
too minutely I confess. There is the man who 
scratches at the last moment and thus causes the 
abandonment of an advertised tie ; there is the 
wearisome match that exceeds its time limit and 
accordingly throws other matches, judiciously planned, 
out of joint; there is the lady who begs as a special 
favour that she may not be called upon to display 
her prowess, or lack of prowess, in a gallery court ; 
there is the player, possibly down to appear in a 
given court at a given time, who gaily goes ofT to tea 
for all the world as if he were at a garden-party. 
But I do not think the disadvantages outweigh the 
advantages, and I am certain now that open tourna- 
ments have assumed the colossal proportions they 
have, that a better system is wanted than that at 
present in vogue. It is not satisfactory that com- 
petitors should be told that they will be wanted in 
due course, or that they should be compelled to exert 
pressure on the referee to get themselves put on, or 
that they should be required to buttonhole their 
opponents, find an umpire and ascertain that the 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 169 

ball-boys are not asleep at the back of their tent. 
Much of the present discomfort and delay might be 
averted if overnight and before lunch a rough draft 
of prospective matches were published. Lawn tennis 
players are as a rule easy-going people and they are 
not given to collective protest, but I believe that 
there is not a single competitor of either sex who 
would not welcome the universal introduction of '*an 
order of play." 

Comparisons are odious and foreign conditions 
are not always the same as those prevailing at home. 
Yet I have never concealed my admiration for the 
manner in which Mr. Charles Voigt runs the inter- 
national meeting at Homburg. I do not say that 
all Mr. Voigt's methods would succeed or that they 
would be desirable in this country. But put into 
practice at Homburg where men and women of all 
nationalities, ages and temperaments are competing, 
they produce one of the smoothest-worked and most 
enjoyable tournaments in Europe. Let me give Mr. 
Voigt's secret in his own words : 

" I prefer to run a tournament by myself with no 
committee to help. I make a point of sitting in the 
centre of the courts where I can see all that is going 
on and even keep track of how the various matches 
stand. If umpires would only follow my advice more 
and call ou*" loudly the state of the game, previous 
sets, etc., this would be an easier task. I rarely have 
a court vacant for more than a couple of minutes. 
I put another match on at once. 

'* Except for the championship (exhibition) court 
where most of the spectators sit, I seldom fix matches 
for certain courts. It doesn't pay. But I make out 



170 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

a * List of Matches ' for morning and afternoon well 
in advance without fixing times (excepting approxim- 
ately for the chief court as a guide to the public), and 
I expect every player on the list to be down punctually 
at the hour fixed for play to begin. Then I put 
matches on as I think best. 

"I do all I can to impress upon players to help 
each other and aid in finding an umpire for their 
match. I am always willing to promise two or four 
competitors a court at a certain hour if they can come 
along with an umpire. Umpiring to my mind is the 
bane of the game. I should like to see a staff of 
four or six professional umpires who could go round 
the various tournaments. Every player should be 
asked to contribute towards this expense (2s. 6d. or 
5s. a head). Elderly ball-boys would do. 

" I do not believe, as some referees do, In making 
a plan with certain matches on certain courts except to 
the extent I have mentioned. An elaborate order does 
not pay. The duration of matches is so uncertain. 

" When the weather is fine I always get through 
as many matches in one day as possible. The record 
for six courts at Homburg (10 to 12.30 and 2.30 to 
6.30) was once sixty-seven matches. 

'* Players should help the referee more than they 
do by being punctual, by being dressed ready for 
play, and by not leaving the court without first 
advising the referee. * Tea ' I regard as a confounded 
nuisance. I never take anything during the hours 
of play and I am surprised that players should hang 
over the teacups as they do. 

" I always pay much attention to the public and 
their wishes and make a point of letting them see 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 171 

the best matches ; and variety too, such as singles, 
doubles and mixed. On the conclusion of one match 
I always call out the next in the chief court so that 
spectators may know what is to follow. 

'* In order not to hurt the feelings of Germans at 
a place like Homburg, I usually write my notices in 
German and English and generally converse with 
players in their own language, an attention which 
they always appreciate. 

'* One trouble at Homburg is to secure the various 
players' rooms. Another is finding them partners 
for the doubles. Tact in this matter is essential. 
I rarely put total strangers or persons of different 
social standing together. This is very important 
abroad, where many ranks are represented." 

An important point raised by Mr. Voigt is the 
locality of the referee's headquarters. Too often the 
referee pitches his tent where he can neither survey 
the courts properly nor command the movements of 
players ; while his chances of watching a match in 
progress and obtaining a first-hand impression of a 
player's form which shall assist his handicapping are 
reduced to a minimum. Where possible it would be 
well for the ground to be so arranged that the referee 
takes his stand in the centre, from which position he 
could be in direct communication with every court 
and be free from contact with the many people who 
ply him with irrelevant questions. 

I now come to the fitting out of a tournament, 
the *' properties " that ^ prize meeting requires. Take 
a concrete case, the Eastbourne meeting of 1907. 
Twenty courts were here fitted up in Devonshire 
park. There were eleven events and nearly seven 



172 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

hundred and fifty matches were contested. Here 
is a hst of the materials ^ used : — 

138 dozen balls 340 uprights 

36 scoring blocks 340 toprods 

20 pairs of posts 1000 yards of canvas 

20 nets loio yards of rope 

20 centre guides 310 iron stakes 

20 pairs of dividing posts 30 wood corner poles 

20 umpires' chairs i large swing board for No. i 

20 numbers for marking courts Court 
1000 yards of stop-netting 

Of course there are very few open tournaments 
that require to be equipped on anything like the 
scale of the Eastbourne meeting, and the economical 
system now in vogue by which the manufacturers 
loan materials to various tournament committees, 
thus saving them an almost prohibitive expense, must 
be regarded as a great boon. In the case of tourna- 
ments taking place within a radius of twelve miles 
of London, goods are sent by road on the manu- 
facturers' vans and delivered on the ground. Outside 
this radius the goods are packed and handed over 
to the railway company which delivers direct to the 
ground. As all committees have to pay carriage on 
goods the amount charged is collected by the carrier 
at the time of delivery. In some cases the goods 
will not be left unless this carriage is paid on arrival. 
The materials should be carefully unpacked by the 
groundman, whose hands are usually augmented by 
extra help at such times. They should be arranged 
in proper order under cover, with the object not only 
of expediting the actual piecing together but of pro- 
tecting them from rain. 

Where, as so often happens, tournaments are held 

^ The approximate value of the above would be about ;^5oo. 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 173 

on cricket fields or plots of grass employed for lawn 
tennis only once a year, measurements will first have 
to be taken and the courts pegged out. Needless to 
say particular attention should be paid to the position' 
of the courts in relation to the sun — they should 
be arranged as near north to south as possible. The 
committee will already have settled upon the number 
of courts they require and in what part of the ground 
this *' gallery " court with its extra space for spectators 
shall be placed. Of course if there is a grand stand 
or a seat-equipped pavilion already in position the 
selection of the site for the principal arena is governed 
by this consideration.-^ 

It is highly desirable that adequate space, say 
18 feet, should be left between the side-lines of 
parallel courts. If there is less space the risk of 
competitors colliding with each other is considerable ; 
this risk should be avoided at all costs. The better 
plan but one very difficult to carry out on a limited 
area is to have all courts placed end-to-end so that 
each has its own unfettered side-run as well as an 
adequate run-back. The official recommendation 
is a clear margin of at least 1 2 feet on each side and 
2 1 feet at each end of the court. I wish this advice 
were generally followed. In the accompanying plan 
of the All- England ground at Wimbledon, arranged 
for the championships, it will be seen that no court 
is allowed to interfere with another so far as the 
players' movements out of court are concerned. On 
some grounds I could name, even those on which 
important matches are decided, the juxtaposition of 
the courts is such that no base-line linesman — and 

\See^Appendix for method of marking out a court. 



174 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

seven line umpires are recommended for important 
matches ! — could possibly find room to officiate, while 
the legs of the umpire's chair actually stand in the 
neighbouring court. It is not every ground that can 
afford the same accommodation as Wimbledon and 
the side-by-side system is often compulsory, especially 
where the grand stand is expected to give a full view 
of two or three matches in progress at once ; but the 
end-to-end system has much to commend it. 

As regards the equipment required for a single 
tournament court I think the following is an exhaus- 
tive list : — 

I pair of poles, with necessary i8 iron uprights, 6 feet 

fixing arrangements i6 iron toprods, 9 feet 
I net I umpire's chair 

I centre guide i box of sawdust 

1 pair of dividing posts, better i number for court 

known as singles sticks 2 scoring books 

2 24-yard lengths of 7 ft. stop-netting 

The above quantity of netting, it should be 
noted, allows for backing and wings at each end. 
If netting be required to go practically all round the 
court, just twice the amount named above would be 
necessary. The position in which the poles should 
be placed can be ascertained by taking a tape 
measure and measuring off 39 feet down the side- 
line from the outside edge of the base-line ; the 
centre of the pole should be 3 feet from the side-line. 
In fixing stop-netting, where possible a run-back 
of 24 feet should be allowed, and the distance be- 
tween courts should be not less than 1 5 feet. All these 
distances should be carefully measured out and pegged. 
In order that a straight line be kept when fixing 
uprights a cord should be drawn lightly along the 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 175 

ground. The toprods, 9 feet in length, should 
then be placed on the ground end to end along 
the cord. This will give the distance at which the 
holes for the uprights should be bored. The uprights 
can then be put in position, and the toprods fixed in 
their places. The next thing is to hang the stop- 
netting on the hooks provided. It should be arranged 
alternately in and out of the uprights so that move- 
ments by gusts of wind may be obviated. Of recent 
years it has become the fashion to have the best 
courts at tournaments completely surrounded or 
backed by green canvas, an idea originated by 
Slazenger & Sons for the championships at Wimbledon 
in 1903. The device forms an ideal background 
and is much appreciated by players. Canvas and 
necessary materials for fixing can be hired with the 
other materials. In many cases where space is at 
a premium, a complete circuit of canvas round each 
court is out of question ; in that case committees 
should limit their enterprise to canvas at the back of 
each court. The higher you can get this green 
background the better. I have never yet met a 
first-class player who would not rather have two 
extra feet of green canvas in front of him than all the 
applauding ladies in the town. An excellent idea, 
introduced at Wimbledon, are movable green screens 
about the height of an average man's shoulder. 
They are just high enough to cover the aim of the 
player and yet not so high that a spectator, standing 
perhaps on a foot-board, cannot watch the rallies over 
them. To equip one court with an ordinary canvas 
background only two lengths of canvas, each 24 yards 
long, would be necessary. 







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PLAN OF THE ALL ENGLAND GROUND, WIM- 
BLEDON, ARRANGED FOR THE CHAMPION- 
SHIPS 

KEY 

- - Green canvas round the CourtR. 

A. Covered Stand for Public (Pes' cd Seats). 

B. Covered Stand. 

C. Covered Stand. 

D. Uncovered Stand. 

E. Seats for Competitors. 

F. Subway. 

G. Announcement of Matches. 

H. Reserved Public Seats in Stand B. 

L Committee Box. 

J. Members. 

K. Press. 

L. Seat Office. 

M. Scoring Board. 

N. Green Screens at ends of Centre Court. 

O. Tea Tent. 

P. Refreshments. 

Q. Entrance and Turnstile. 

R. Dressing Rooms. 

S. Secretary's Office. 

T. Pavilion and Bar. 

U. Referee's Tent. 

V. Extra Temporary Dressing Rooms. 

W. Tea Enclosure. 

X. Summer. Houses. 



13 



178 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

I believe I am right in saying that under the 
present system, which appears to work efficaciously, 
all goods loaned to a tournament may be offered for 
sale after the meeting is over. As the manufacturers 
considerably reduce their ordinary price — in view, I 
suspect, of the advertisement they receive and of 
the profit they make over the sale of balls — the com- 
mittee by pushing the sales of those goods may help 
considerably to defray the cost of carriage. Material 
which is not used is either returned to the manufacturers 
or is despatched to the next meeting on the circuit. 

In respect to the number of balls required the 
quantity is naturally governed by the number of 
events, the number of matches, the condition of the 
courts and the weather. At Eastbourne, as I have 
said, 138 boxes, each containing a dozen balls, were 
devoted to 750 matches ; but the weather for 
this meeting happened to be exceptionally fine. 
Never stint players over balls is a safe rule, and 
beware of discriminating too much between the needs 
of the crack and the needs of the ordinary competitor. 
The latter has paid his entrance fees and is just as 
much entitled to consideration as anybody else. 
There is a happy medium in this matter and 
some executives just hit it. In wet weather or in 
failing light the appeal of players for new balls, 
even those engaged in handicap events, deserves 
the utmost consideration. There was a well-known 
tournament habitu6 with a stamina not particularly 
sound, who made a practice of demanding new balls 
at the beginning of the third set, no matter what the 
condition of the original balls might be. His friends 
thought that it might be a subterfuge to gain a 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 179 

second **wlnd" and to test their suspicions the ball- 
boy on his arrival at the pavilion with the usual 
request was told to take back the old balls (which 
were not really old) and say nothing about it. He 
carried out these instructions and the wily warrior was 
none the wiser, though he was certainly the fresher. 

I am tempted to introduce here another ball story. 
It relates to the Buxton Meeting, when its glory was 
a little brighter than it is to-day. Dr. Dwight, the 
well-known American player and now the President 
of the U.S.N.L.T.A., was making a British 
circuit. He had at that time an almost ungovernable 
passion for new balls and at Dublin, where he had 
previously been competing, this craving had been 
satisfied with true Irish hospitality. But at Buxton, 
out of consideration for their balance sheet, the 
committee could not deal with quite so lavish a hand ; 
nevertheless they were prepared to make an exception 
in the genial ** Doctor's" favour. Dwight entered 
the referee's tent scenting a possible match. B. C. 
Evelegh, then as now, was in charge of the reins 
and duly allotted the American a tie in the Handicap 
Singles. '' New balls of course ? " said Dwight. 
"They are ready, waiting for you," replied the 
secretary,^ his eyes twinkling through his glasses. 
Off went Dwight to uncase his racket. Meanwhile 
the secretary winked at Evelegh and called Ernest 
Renshaw on one side. The result of this interlude 
was that the great '' E. R." went forth to fill the 
umpire's chair, two ball boxes under his arm. Dwight 
and his opponent appeared in court and Dwight said 
to Renshaw, '' Got those new balls, Ernest ? " " Yes, 

^ Mr. A. J. Harrison, to whom I am indebted for this recollection. 



i8o THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

here they are," the umpire answers, proceeding to 
open one of the boxes. Turning his head slightly 
on one side, Renshaw mechanically dealt out a dozen 
balls — the very oldest and absolutely the dirtiest that 

could be found on the ground ! '* What the dev ," 

began Dwight, almost foaming at the mouth. But 
before he got further, Renshaw glanced down, 
pretended to grasp the source of D wight's wrath, 
humbly apologised for the secretary's lamentable 
error and immediately dealt out a brand new half 
dozen from the other box. 

The prize meeting has exercised such potent 
influence on the spread and popularity of lawn tennis 
that the casual observer might have some ground for 
supposing the game existed solely to promote its 
interests. Of course that would be a misconception. 
There are hundreds of club committees that have 
never permitted their thoughts to run in the direction 
of an open tournament and there are hundreds of 
players who have never deigned to lift their rackets 
in public competitions. In thus avoiding the anxieties 
and perils of tournament management and tournament 
play both parties perhaps have little cause for regret. 
It cannot be too strongly emphasized that tournaments 
have their limitations in usefulness and were never 
intended to be the sole objective of the lawn tennis 
votary. 

The question as to whether there are not too 
many tournaments and consequently an excess of 
competitive zeal may be legitimately raised. Perhaps 
there are too many, though I know of no tournament 
which does not attract new competitors every year, 
and that is not, apart from the enjoyment it affords 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL i8i 

players, a source of social interest and gaiety to the 
local people. 

The suggestion that leading players make a tour 
of open tournaments in order to pick up the valuable 
prizes that may be offered is mere idle and ignorant 
gossip. When competitions are thrown open to the 
whole country and efforts made to secure a representa- 
tive entry, it is only natural, first-class talent being 
limited, that the same players should head the lists at 
one meeting after the other. Their success is the 
normal result of superior skill and consistency. Be- 
cause it is repeated in several different districts before 
differently constituted crowds I do not see that the 
charge of prize-hunting, preferred by a few people, 
can be sustained. I do not say that here and there 
you will not find a man — and dare I add a lady ? — 
carefully scanning a fixture list in search of a pocket- 
tournament off the beaten track of the cracks that 
shall yield a haul of prizes ; in every pursuit and 
pastime there are men with eyes on material gain. 
But so far as ninety-five per cent, of tournament 
competitors are concerned, my experience is that the 
silver contents of the prize-table are rarely con- 
sidered. I believe I am right in saying they are not 
unfrequently left unexamined. Good courts, a salu- 
brious environment, a genial committee and the 
presence of other capable players are much more 
likely to influence the entry at any one meeting. 
Perhaps I ought to have put this last consideration 
first. It is a recognised maxim with all tournament 
promoters that one first-class player will bring another ; 
that the surest method of securing a representative 
entry is to advertise the fact that a certain number 



1 82 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

of distinguished exponents have already promised to 
come. After all, do you suppose that men who have 
played high-class lawn tennis for any length of time 
find pleasure in sweeping through the lists at a meet- 
ing which neither fires their zeal nor tests any of 
their good qualities ? Not all the silver mugs in the 
world would have induced H. F. Lawford to make a 
circuit of the minor meetings. The Renshaws, the 
Baddeleys, the Dohertys and all those giants of 
the game whose names and fame will live in lawn 
tennis history have given us substantial proof that 
the value of their prizes was to them a matter of in- 
difference. 

A propos of prizes. I may perhaps touch briefly 
upon a practice that is rapidly gaining ground and 
that up to the present, so far as I am aware, has not 
received the official consideration of the Lawn 
Tennis Association. I mean the practice of " seed- 
ing" or doctoring the draw. Rule 17 in the 
regulations governing prize meetings declares that 
the draw shall be conducted in the following manner : 
*' Each competitor's name shall be written on a 
separate card or paper, and these shall be placed in 
a bowl or hat, drawn out one by one at random and 
copied on a list in the order in which they have been 
drawn." It is scarcely a secret that this rule is 
honoured as much in the breach as in the observance. 
I am not prepared to deny that there are valid reasons 
why this should be so. In an entry (say) of thirty- 
two players for an open single, it would be possible, 
if the players chanced to be drawn in order of merit, 
for the seventeenth best player to win the second 
prize ! As no less an authority than *' Lewis Carroll " 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 183 

has pointed out/ the mathematical chance that the 
second best player will, by the mere accidental arrange- 
ment of pairs, get the prize he deserves is only sixteen- 
thirty-firsths ; while the chances that the best four 
shall get their proper prizes is so small that the odds 
are twelve to one against its happening. It has also 
been urged as a point in favour of '' seeding the draw " 
that as the success of many tournaments and there- 
fore the entertainment of competitors depends largely 
on ** gate-money," the interests of the public should 
be considered so far as ensuring that the best players 
or the best pairs meet in the final rounds. Another 
argument is that the ''majority of players" if con- 
sulted would raise no objection to the practice. 

As against these considerations, all worthy of 
attention, must be set others which I think should 
turn the scale in favour of a ''regulation" draw, or at 
any rate should lead to the official sanction of the 
present unauthorised system. One is that every 
additional element of chance introduced into tourna- 
ment play, provided it be a legitimate element, is to 
be encouraged ; the moral certainty with which 
winners of many open events can be detected before 
play begins is frequently a source of comment. The 
programme often hangs fire on the first two or three 
days of a week's tournament. If the crack players 
by a chance draw were brought more into conflict in 
earlier rounds, my impression is that committees would 
reap the be'nefit of the attendant excitement while 
suffering no appreciable difference in their receipts on 
the Saturday, ipso facto a day for crowds. Further, if 

^ A pamphlet on The True Method of assigning Prizes^ with a Proof 
of the Fallacy of the Present Method^ by Charles L. Dodgson, M.A. 



1 84 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

you ''manipulate" the draw, you have to run the risk, 
and it is often a serious risk, of disorganising and de- 
laying your programme on the last day, owing to the 
presence of the same players in several finals. These 
champions may properly plead fatigue and wish to 
postpone one of their matches to the Monday, and 
the public who have paid their shillings or their half- 
crowns at the gate may complain that only two, in- 
stead of the three advertised finals, have been decided. 
Whereas if the draw had proceeded on regulation 
lines, as of course it does at several meetings, the 
chances are against a sequence of the same finalists. 
The poor referee is accordingly relieved of much 
anxiety. A stronger argument against the practice is 
that its unchecked pursuit might lead to greater and 
more reprehensible delinquencies. I was once present 
at a foreiofn tournament where there was no draw at 
all, the manager of the meeting merely selecting the 
four semi-finalists and filling in the gaps with the 
other players, most of them '' rabbits." Nobody 
minded except one Count who had never entered for 
the open singles but found his name included. I 
have no doubt the manager considered he was acting 
for the best, as probably he was. But in England, 
where amateur competitors are concerned, it is highly 
desirable that regulations carefully framed by govern- 
ing bodies should be observed, not only in the law 
but in the letter. It is in the interests of all amateur 
games that such a course should be adopted. 

A final word about umpires, that much-maligned 
body of honorary officials who can generally claim 
our sympathy, but less frequently secure our thanks. 
I think there can be no question that the incompetent 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 185 

umpire, who is so often pressed into service, like the 
steeds in Hobson's stable, is a great danger to the 
interests of the game ; for his ignorant rulings may- 
invoke unseemly discussions on court that prejudice 
the game in the eyes of spectators, oblivious to the 
shortcomings of the man in the chair. Moreover, 
umpire's mistakes, which have a tendency of being 
committed at crucial periods of a contest, may and 
often do vitally affect the result of an event and lead 
to much annoyance and heartburning on the part 
of competitors. Two episodes are recalled to my 
mind in contemplating the *' iniquities " of umpires. 
One relates to the late Harold Mahony who usually 
displayed a commendable tolerance towards doubtful 
decisions. On one occasion, however, the umpire's 
decrees were so flagrantly inaccurate as to stir the 
placid waters of the Irishman's mind — he shot 
an ominous scowl in the direction of the chair. A 
look of injured innocence swept the official face, 
** Champion or no champion," he declared, "you 
needn't think you can browbeat me^ To which 
admonition Mahony softly replied, " I was looking at 
you more in sorrow than in anger." 

I think it was at Brighton several years ago that 
G. W. Hillyard — he will, I know, forgive me for 
recalling this incident — was so upset at the remark- 
ably defective umpiring which caused him the loss of 
an important match that, to calm his ruffled feelings, 
he strolled down to the beach and sat down under 
the brow of a breakwater. Hours passed and the 
other events in which the present All England 
secretary was competing were entirely ignored. At 
length Hillyard rose in a more philosophical frame 



1 86 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

of mind and returned slowly to the ground. He was 
met by the secretary who offered him the sympathy 
he deserved. *' I should not have minded so much," 
said G. W. H., now his genial self again; "only he 
wore a green shirt and would persist in calling me 
''Illyardr' 

Enrol the names of as many trustworthy non- 
playing umpires before the tournament begins is 
good advice that all executives should follow. Make 
their lot as light and as comfortable as possible and 
let them know by little acts of courtesy, such as 
invitations to the tea tent, admission passes for their 
wives, that you appreciate their services. I am sure 
it is desirable as much as possible to relieve com- 
petitors from the task of umpiring. True, keen 
spirits enjoy it and when all prospect of victory in 
the lists is gone may actually compete with one 
another for the honour of mounting the chair. Where 
these enthusiastic players are known to be competent 
— and it is not every player, good, bad or indifferent, 
who makes a sound umpire — engage their services by 
all means. But never press a competitor to arbitrate 
a match just before he is going to play ; both the 
vision and the temper may suffer in such a manner 
that the result of his own tie may be affected. Nor 
is it advisable to get any umpire to officiate at two 
matches without a short interval. Umpiring is 
wearying to the flesh as well as to the spirit, and I 
have sometimes groaned inwardly when in a ladies' 
double, already stretched to an abnormal length, the 
prospect of Vantage games in the third set becomes 
imminent. In many matches it is usual and desirable 
to have linesmen, especially when foot-faulting is not 



POINTS IN TOURNAMENT CONTROL 187 

only suspected but openly committed. But I know 
of many players who, except on all but the most 
stressful occasions, would rather their match be con- 
ducted by one thoroughly competent umpire than 
by a corps of gentlemen on the line, often selected 
hurriedly from the crowd, whose decisions have to be 
respected by the umpire whatever his own impressions 
may be. A faulty judgment on the line has lost 
many a momentous match. I am not sure that it has 
not affected the championship table. In selecting his 
line lieutenants before an encounter the captain of 
the court cannot be too careful, even at the risk of 
offending a short-sighted vice-president ! 



CHAPTER XIII 
HANDICAPPING 

The old bisque system and its defects — Limitations of the " quarter " 
system — The " sixths " method — Difficulties under which official 
handicappers labour — Mr. H. S. Scrivener explains his modus operandi 
and offers some suggestions — Personal experience of players' form 
desirable — A comparison between English and foreign handicapping — 
The methods of a leading Continental handicapper — Is the present 
system unsound in principle ? — The advisability of club handicapping — 
Some voluntary systems not recognised at tournaments 

CHAPTERS in a book, like the holes in a golf 
course, should vary in length. I accordingly 
propose after the long chapter we have just 
left behind to make this one a '' Bogey 3." 

The principle of handicapping in lawn tennis is 
not quite as old as the game itself, but it was put into 
practical shape as far back as 1885 when Mr. Henry 
Jones (''Cavendish") to whom present-day votaries 
owe a heavy debt of gratitude wrote a letter to the 
Field. The first system introduced was called the 
bisque system and in view of its variable character 
and the unsatisfactory results which it brought about, 
it is as well that the present generation of players 
know it only by name. A bisque was one stroke 
taken by its owner whenever his fancy or the state of 
the match prompted, except when the ball was 
actually in play or after he himself had served a 



HANDICAPPING 189 

fault. It was given either in augmentation or 
diminution of other odds. Two bisques was the 
largest number ever given at one time, though 
occasionally players would play fancy matches among 
themselves, giving four, five, and even six bisques. 
Besides bisques (which may be described as '' floating 
sixths ") there were the stationary odds : Half-fifteen 
(the equivalent of the present three-sixths), fifteen, 
half-thirty (the equivalent of 15.3) and so on; and 
the odds ran thus : one bisque, two bisques, half- 
fifteen, half- fifteen and one bisque, half- fifteen and 
two bisques, fifteen, fifteen and one bisque, and so on. 
Owed odds ran thus : one half-fifteen for two 
bisques {i.e. the ower owed half-fifteen and received 
two bisques), owe half-fifteen for one bisque, owe 
half-fifteen, owe fifteen for two bisques, owe fifteen for 
one bisque, owe fifteen, and so on. As may be 
imagined, a bisque was a very valuable thing in the 
hands of a player who knew how to use it. It nearly 
always meant a game, and probably an important 
game, and it was no uncommon thing for a man to 
declare that he would sooner owe another half-fifteen 
for two bisques than play him level. Conversely, in 
the hands of a player who was ignorant of its value, a 
bisque was almost useless, for the player almost 
invariably took it in such a manner as to waste it. 
As Mr. Wilberforce points out, the old method 
attributed to the bisque a fractional value of fifteen 
which was notoriously inaccurate when odds were 
given and still more so when they were owed. 

From the bisque players passed to the "quarter" 
system which reigned for about four years. This 
plan divided fifteen into quarters — one quarter, two 



I90 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

quarters and three quarters of fifteen, both given and 
owed. For a player to give one quarter of fifteen 
meant that he conceded a stroke to his opponent at 
the beginning of the second, sixth and every 
subsequent fourth game of a set ; two quarters of 
fifteen meant the concession of a stroke at the 
beginning of the second, fourth and every subsequent 
alternate game ; three quarters meant the concession 
of a stroke at the beginning of the second, third and 
fourth games, and so on. In the case of owed odds 
a quarter fifteen meant that in the first and fifth 
games a player must win a stroke before he could 
begin to score in the ordinary way ; two quarters that 
he must win a stroke in the first, third and subsequent 
odd games. 

Though a great improvement on the bisque 
system, this plan provided a unit, one quarter of 
fifteen, which was too large and a number of available 
classes which were too few. The basis of handi- 
capping by odds needed broadening not only to 
increase the accuracy of the handicapping but to 
ensure that players, whose form differed materially, 
met on more level terms. The present '* sixths" 
system was accordingly evolved, primarily by Mr. 
W. H. Collins, and introduced in 1894. Its principle 
extends the giving or owing of odds to six games 
instead of four, and the details of its working are 
fully set out at the end of this volume.^ The table of 
differentiation by which players allotted different odds, 
whether owed or received, could meet on an adjust- 
able scale was wisely amended in 1906 and is now, 
subject to defects inherent in a system of this 

^ See Appendix. 



HANDICAPPING 191 

arbitrary character, about as near perfection as it can 
be. It may be noted that the United States did not 
adopt the quarter-fifteen system until 1896,^ six years 
after its Introduction in England, but after that a year 
sufficed to bring the two countries Into line. 

The leading handicappers for whose conscientious 
and impartial labours none but feelings of respect can 
be entertained adopt various methods of arriving at a 
just handicap and it is not unnatural, the system being 
what it is, their handicaps should sometimes materially 
differ. It would be Invidious on my part to express 
any opinion on the individual merits of these methods 
and the results achieved. Taking into account the 
initial difficulties under which the handicapper at 
every big tournament works — insufficient information, 
imperfect data that may sometimes be Intentionally 
withheld by a competitor, the vicissitudes of form 
which even the best-known players display, the 
appearance of the ''unknown quantity" or the re- 
appearance of some player after a protracted absence 
from the arena — taking these factors into account the 
adjudications are remarkably sound and their accuracy 
Is very rarely Impugned by the results of the matches. 
I said that it would be invidious to discriminate In the 
matter, but I do not think there is any harm in 
remarking the wonderfully consistent success that has 
attended the efforts of Mr. B. C. Evelegh, the doyen 
of referees, in the department of handicapping. I 
have never attempted to fathom the complexities of 
Mr. Evelegh's system, nor do I think anybody, 
except that gentleman himself, could give a detailed 
analysis of its working. Yet the results are convinc- 

1 Mr. Paret. 



192 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

ingly sound. They must evoke admiration for the 
far-reaching knowledge, unique experience and utter 
lack of bias which govern the work of this handi- 
capper. I hope I shall see his hatless head at many 
a tournament to come. 

Mr. H. S. Scrivener, who became referee at 
Wimbledon two seasons ago and whose handicapping 
record is both long and honourable, has kindly supplied 
me with the following interesting notes on his system : 

"The system upon which I handicap (be it 
understood that I claim no originality whatever in 
respect of it) may thus be set down : I have a 
fixed scale from which I very rarely depart ; that is 
to say, I handicap everybody from the best handicap 
player of the year, whom I place on the owe 40 
mark, or if need be, behind it. I might even say 
that I handicap everybody from the All England 
Champion, for I would always put the A. E. Champion 
on the very back mark honoris causa. I regard 
R. F. Doherty as the best handicap player of the 
day, and I should place him at owe 50 or at any rate 
at owe 40.3, though the handicap table does not 
actually go beyond owe 40 of which more anon. But 
A. W. Gore, whom I regard as the next best handicap 
player to "R. F.," has recently won one of my handicaps 
from owe 40. Other players follow in order of merit 
up to 30 and sometimes beyond it. The advantage 
of this system is that every player has a fixed handicap, 
unless of course he improves or deteriorates. This 
makes it easier work for the handicapper when he 
goes on to his next tournament and is also more 
interesting for the player, for he can tell at a glance 
whether the handicapper thinks he is improving or 



HANDICAPPING 193 

otherwise. I seldom make a bad mistake with a 
player when once I have handicapped him and have 
his record, and I attribute this to the * fixed ' principle 
which I adopt. 

** Where there are two classes I still preserve the 
same scale, putting all players above 15.3 in the 
second. The 15.4 players then become scratch in 
class two, and so on. The advantage of a second 
class (purely from a handicapping point of view : 
there are others) is that it enables you to give more 
start to a really weak player. In a one-class handicap 
you cannot well go beyond 30.3, but in a two-class 
you can give 30 in the second which is the equivalent, 
in a one-class, of about 40.3 — an obviously impossible 
start. Sometimes, when the first-class handicap is 
small, and the second large, I make 15.4 the limit in 
the first. I also do this with men who express a 
wish to be in class one. It pleases them and doesn't 
as a rule hurt anybody else. I make one exception 
to my scale rule but that is only a partial exception. 
When I get a tournament where the class is weak, i.e, 
where there is no one better than (say) three-sixths or 
four-sixths, I make what I call * a second-class handicap 
with owe-makers ' — that is to say, I put the 15.4 
men on scratch and make all the players who are 
better than 15.4 owe rather less than double what 
they would give to 15.4. Thus a 15 player would 
owe, in a * second-class handicap with owe-makers ' 
about 15. 1, a four-sixths player about 30 and so on. 
But where there is a first-class handicap I never make 
anyone owe odds in the second, for if he is good 
enough to owe odds in the second he is good enough 
for the first. The method, sometimes adopted, of 
13 



194 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

picking out so many players (generally a small number) 
and saying * these shall form the first class, and all 
the others shall go into the second,' I regard as very 
unscientific. Another disadvantage of making players 
owe odds in class two is that when you come to 
handicap them in doubles you have to go through 
a laborious calculation in order to arrive at their 
equivalent handicap in received odds as compared 
with the players in class one. Thus if A, receiving 
four-sixths in class one plays in the handicap doubles 
with B owing five-sixths in class two, what is their 
right start ? To fix it you must first find (or 
estimate) what B's handicap would be if he were 
playing in the same class as A. Under my system 
you can always arrive at what a second-class man's 
start would be in a first-class handicap by adding 
15.4 (ten points) to his start. On rare occasions I 
alter the scale of a first-class handicap by putting 
everybody * on ' two or three points with a view to 
making the games in which the men behind scratch 
are concerned take less time. For instance, I put 
the owe- 1 5 men at scratch, the scratch men at three- 
sixths or four-sixths and so on ; but I generally 
repent of it afterwards because I have always to 
make notes to remind me of it on future occasions, 
and I also find that the majority of the players are 
so used to my fixed scale that they come and ask 
me what I have been playing at ! Moreover, the 
alteration of the scale generally causes minor dis- 
crepancies which partially spoil the accuracy (or what 
I think is the accuracy) of the handicap. 

" I have referred to handicapping doubles. There 
is really some art in this as well as in single handi- 



HANDICAPPING 195 

capping, although it naturally takes less time once 
you have got your singles completed. The ordinary 
rule-of-thumb method is to add together the single 
starts of the pair you are handicapping (or, if one is 
an ower and the other a receiver, to subtract the 
ower's start from the receiver's) and divide by two. 
But there are other things to be remembered. For 
instance, you may know from experience that a 
certain player is stronger or weaker in a single than 
a double and you must make allowance for this. 
Again two players may be a ' pair ' in the true sense, 
and on that account far stronger in combination than 
they are individually. This is often overlooked. 
Or again, if an * uneven ' pair play together, say an 
owe- 1 5 man and a 15.2 man, they are unlikely to be 
as strong as an * even ' pair, say a couple of one-sixth 
men, though the handicap in the two cases would 
work out at about the same. 

''When there are two classes with starts up to 
(say) 30 in the second and two long-starters in class 
two go in together in the doubles, you of course get 
an impossible start. A for instance gets 15.4=10 
points and B 30=12 points, and you must give 
each in addition the 10 points allowance for being in 
class two. The sum is therefore: io4-io-fi2-j-io 

= — =21 points = 40.3! With these people you can 

really do nothing (unless there are two classes in 
doubles, which is rare) except put them on 30.3 or 
30.2 and pull the whole of the rest of the handicap 
back four or five points. But of course this has the 
effect of putting the owers back some eight or nine 
points and consequently doubling the probable dura- 



196 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

tion of many matches In the event. You can seldom 
afford to do this, and when you can't you simply dock 
these 40.3 worthies of five or six points and put them 
on the limit, say 30.2, where of course they stand no 
chance unless they happen to 'come off' in some 
unexpected fashion ; for they are on the same mark 
as pairs who could give them 1 5 or more. 

'* The last paragraph forms a suitable prelude to 
the few remaining words I have to say about the 
sixths system itself. To my mind it is the best that 
can be devised, having regard to the present method 
of scoring. But for handicap purposes (at any rate) 
the game is too short. The tables provide for starts 
up to 40, but no handicapper ever gives 40 for the 
simple reason that in a game into which the element 
of luck necessarily enters, you cannot place anybody, 
however weak, within an ace of every game of the 
set, every time he meets a man on scratch or behind 
it. And yet he actually needs 40 as compared with 
some of the players in the handicap, though you 
can't give it to him. Thus the following situation 
frequently arises : — A owes 40, B receives five-sixths, 
C receives 30.1. A can just about owe 40 and give 
five-sixths to B, but cannot quite owe 40 and give 
30.1 to C, although B if he meets C can give him (C) 
15.4. You can't give B less (so as to put him right 
with C) because in that event A, if he meets him, 
will smother him ; neither can you give C more (to 
put him right with B) because in that event he will 
smother A if he meets him, while to move A up so 
as to give him a better chance against C entails 
giving him too good a chance against B. In other 
words, the game is long enough for A to catch B and 



HANDICAPPING 197 

for B to catch C but it is not long enough for A to 
catch C. The only thing to do is to move both A 
and B back proportionately, but that entails putting 
A back below owe 40 ; in fact, lengthening the game 
beyond its recognized limits. This, of course, is 
frequently done, but if a man whom I had set to owe 
* 50 ' came to me and objected to play at those odds 
I should feel bound to admit the validity of his 
objection. Personally, I believe the game would be 
improved — not only in handicaps but in ' levels ' too 
— if it were lengthened at the other end by the 
addition of another ace thus : 15; 30 ; 40 ; 50 ; game, 
with deuce and Vantage and so on if the score 
reached 50-all instead of 40-all. But of course this 
would upset the table of differential odds entirely. 

*' Another plan would be to use the now obsolete 
loo-up method of scoring for handicaps. There is 
no inherent objection to two methods of scoring in 
the same game ; you have it in golf. In fact the 
two methods bear a close resemblance to match and 
medal play respectively. In the ordinary method 
each game is like a hole which you win (or lose) in 
so many strokes. You may take few or many, but 
when you have won or lost it, it is the game, or the 
hole, which counts; the strokes don't matter. In a 
lOO-up game, on the other hand, every stroke counts 
for or against you, just as in medal play, right up to 
the end of the * round.' I believe it to be a fact 
that lawn tennis players who also play golf prefer 
match to medal play as a rule. Perhaps there is 
something in the lawn tennis temperament to account 
for this. If there is I am sure that it also accounts 
for the loo-up game having fallen into desuetude. 



198 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

But I am sorry that it Is so. I feel sure that with a 
little practice I could turn out some very satisfactory 
handicaps under the loo-up system (loo-up, by 
the way, Is merely a name ; a shorter game would 
probably be necessary at most tournaments) and 
I believe the variety of the thing would be 
appreciated." 

Mr. G. M. Simond, another leading handicapper, 
the accuracy of whose allotments is reflected in the 
scores registered, says that he has **no particular 
system of handicapping and that it Is beyond his 
powers to invent one." I gather from this that Mr. 
Simond bases his odds, as other handicappers have 
not always been able to do, on personal knowledge 
of the competitor's form previously gained in court. 
That is to say, he regards his own form, now seasoned 
Into a condition of stability, as a standard from which 
reliable comparisons and deductions can be obtained. 
It is an excellent plan, for It brings home to the 
handicapper the propriety of taking into account 
varying conditions and their effect on different com- 
petitors. For example, some players are as much 
as fifteen better on hard courts than they are on grass, 
and vice versa. Personal experience of these changes 
in form Is a most valuable asset for a handicapper. 
Mr. Simond, by the way, has this criticism to offer 
of Continental handicapping : " My feeling Is that the 
back-markers are often put too far back and the 
genuinely bad players not far enough forward — a 
method of handicapping that tends to make games 
unnecessarily long besides giving the receiver of odds 
a very poor chance of success." 

My own experience confirms this view, the aim of 



HANDICAPPING 199 

some Continental handicappers, especially those who 
may be called amateurs, apparently being to respect 
the dignity of the best players by making them owe 
sufficiently imposing odds, and yet giving them a by 
no means difficult chance of securing the first prize. 

Even when the odds are most accurately adjudi- 
cated by experienced handicappers, the stronger 
player, unless crushed by excess of odds, as Mr. 
Heathcote points out,^ has always a reserve in service, 
skill, judgment and confidence that will probably 
suffice in a close contest to turn the scale. If any 
careful comparison of the results of British and 
Continental handicapping be made, it will probably 
be found that the poorer player is more mercifully 
treated in England than abroad. By this I mean 
that the chances of a back-marker ** coming through " 
at home are considerably less than they are on the 
Continent. 

Mr. Charles Voigt, whose task of handicapping 
at fashionable foreign resorts like Homburg, is not 
made easier by the cosmopolitan character of the 
entry, sends me the following brief " note " as to his 
system : 

" I rarely handicap any player without first having 
seen him play and I think I may say I can usually 
* size up ' a new-comer fairly quickly. If wholly 
unknown, I put him or her into the open singles^ 
(without charging them entrance fee for this event) 
and carefully watch the form displayed. I make a 
point of keeping all Continental lawn tennis journals 

^ Badminton volume. 

^ Regulations governing English meetings would not permit of this 
device, though its value as a guide to form may be admitted. 



200 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

and of carefully following players' performances — 
German, French, Dutch, Belgian, etc. I am rarely 
mistaken in handicapping them against each other, 
making due allowance for the brilliant but erratic 
exponents such as the Continent yields in large 
numbers. 

"In doubles I never add up each player's singles 
handicap and divide by two, as some referees do. 
I base my handicap on the previous experience in 
double harness which the couple in question may 
have had, and I also take into account the volleying 
capacities of each pair and as to whether they have 
had more experience in doubles than in singles. 
Age and condition must also be a factor ; but one 
has to be on one's guard against the veteran who 
secretes as much stamina as the youngster." 

Mr. Wilberforce is doubtless right when he says ^ 
that the present system of handicapping, however 
much it may have been improved by recent changes, 
is unsound in principle — unavoidably unsound, he 
adds. ** The large number of players who enter for 
handicaps," remarks this authority, ''renders it 
absolutely impossible to assign the odds to them 
separately in pairs before each round, and recourse 
is compelled to an arrangement in classes which is 
permanent and unchanged throughout the competi- 
tion. This system depends for its accuracy on the 
hypothesis that if A say, can give B the odds of 
fifteen, and C and A are equal players, it necessarily 
follows that C can give B fifteen. Now I have no 
wish to exaggerate, and will therefore only say that 
in very many cases this assumption is entirely 

^ Lawn Tennis^ by H. W. W. Wilberforce. 



HANDICAPPING 201 

Incorrect. It Ignores completely the difference 
between styles of play, the familiarity with the 
opponent's game and other similar circumstances 
which exercise great influence in determining the 
odds which lie between two individual players ; in 
short, it looks upon men as machines." 

It is a pity that some system cannot be introduced 
similar in principle and in practical value to the golf 
handicap — a handicap that should be previously 
determined by club committees and should be 
respected by the executive at an open meeting. 
Not many clubs may possess an ''owe-thirty " or even 
an *' owe-fifteen " member, whose form is, so to speak, 
standardized and against whom other members, desirous 
of securing a recognized handicap, could compete, the 
aggregate of the aces scored by each side being com- 
pared. But nearly every club of any standing has 
members who have been handicapped (whether rightly 
or wrongly) at open meetings and against these the 
aspirant for an official handicap could always try his 
skill. As men improved or deteriorated, their handi- 
cap, always regarding the best member as *' bogey," 
could be adjusted — it would give an added zest to 
club games. It does not follow that the open tourna- 
ment handicapper would necessarily adopt the club 
handicap, but he would at least know that it had the 
official sanction of a reputable committee — that he 
could base his own handicap on something more 
tangible than the inconclusive evidence frequently 
submitted by the player himself. A lady is reported 
to have given the following **line" as to her capacities 
on an entry form : '* Five years ago the vicar's wife 
gave me fifteen in every game, and she beat me 



202 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

easily. She still gives me fifteen, but now I always 
beat her easily." On such ambiguous information 
do handicappers under the present system sometimes 
have to work. 

Other systems of handicapping, far less complex 
than the sixths system, which is still a mystery even 
to some regular tournament votaries, may be judici- 
ously employed in practice games. Where one 
player is considerably weaker than another it is not 
a bad plan to deprive the better man of the use of 
his opponent's court between the service-line and the 
net except for the service. This handicap will require 
him to make good length returns and deepen his 
volleying. Or, the better man may be required to 
play only into one half of the whole court, the centre- 
line being extended for this purpose to the base-line. 
This will improve his direction. It is also possible 
to " cripple " the superior man by depriving him of 
the use of the volley, or of the ground stroke, though 
in some cases neither of these losses might prove a 
sufficiently big handicap. To limit a man to one 
service and abolish the fault is another excellent 
handicap which serves a double purpose. The loo- 
up system, mentioned by Mr. Scrivener, is capable 
of reliable adjustment, but I confess that as a golfer 
who favours match play in preference to medal play, 
I have found this method of scoring rather tedious 
and calling for more arithmetical precision than a 
tennis player, faced with other problems, cares to 
exercise. 

Elsewhere in this volume I mention the match in 
which Mr. Ernest Renshaw handicapped himself by 
wearing a lady's skirt, apparently with little detriment 



HANDICAPPING 203 

to facility of movement. As a last resort, this penalty- 
might be recommended to English handicappers 
seeking to reduce the powers of the ''owe-forty " 
man. But the linesmen would need to be warned 
that the difficulties of their position would be con- 
siderably increased ! 



CHAPTER XIV 

THE CONSTRUCTION OF COURTS 

The good grass court the exception — Essential requirements — 
What makes the best background ? — Relative cost of turfing and seed- 
sowing — How to carry out effective draining — Turfing a new lawn — 
How to sow seed — Some mowing and rolling tips— Renovating a court 
during the off season — The importance of a turf nursery — Asphalt 
surfaces compared — A good floor for a covered court — Background 
for a covered court — Accommodating spectators — Some points from 
Stockholm — What it costs to construct a covered court 

TRUTH compels me to admit that the good 
grass court is the exception rather than the 
rule. And perfection may be sought for 
almost in vain. The vast majority of private lawns 
on which tennis is pursued have some defect in the 
actual surface or in the immediate surroundings which 
militates against complete success and renders ideal 
match play impossible. It might be urged that few 
owners of private courts are so punctilious about 
conditions of play as to regard any minor deficiency 
in turf or background as inimical to the enjoy- 
ment of their game. That is a view which only 
the suburban householder having limited space at 
his command and no soul above second-class tennis 
could express ; it will not serve the potential owner of 
a really first-class court. 

Let it be affirmed at once that a really serviceable 

204 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF COURTS 205 

lawn tennis court must be regarded as a separate 
entity from the rest of the garden. For something 
approaching perfection to be obtained the lawn must 
be tended all the year round with thorough and minute 
care, and the work of keeping it in order and attend- 
ing to its manifold needs must be undertaken by 
someone who understands his business. For the 
effects of neglect or carelessness are rapidly discern- 
ible, and unless certain acts are performed in certain 
seasons and with a due regard to certain factors the 
full enjoyment of a summer season may never be 
realised. 

Lawn tennis being a comparatively modern game 
the fruits of experience in the construction of first- 
class courts have scarcely had time to mature— at 
least so it would seem. In many country houses 
tennis has been adapted to the lawn rather than the 
lawn for tennis ; and as a result the expert who may 
be called in to effect improvements is faced with 
difficulties the surmounting of which may necessitate 
radical changes in the disposition of the garden. A 
venerable oak that casts its broad shadows over the 
court may have to be sacrificed, a picturesque bank 
preventing an adequate run-back may have to be 
levelled out of existence, or it may be necessary to 
encroach on beds that lend charm and colour to the 
grounds. Owners of old-fashioned gardens, who are 
floriculturists first and lawn tennis players after, may 
be forgiven if they pause before committing what 
seems to them sacrilege. But the tennis enthusiast who 
is building himself a new home and the promoters of 
clubs, to whom the remarks that follow are chiefly 
addressed, may be assumed to have no object in view 



2o6 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

other than the provision of a true, shadowless and 
accommodating surface. 

The ^question of background and adequate 
accommodation is of primary importance. Not 
only is a level area of 128 feet by 60 feet required 
— the court should of course be placed north to 
south in order that sun in the afternoon may not 
inflict an unconscionable penalty on one side — but 
the adjacent land must be free from high trees that 
interfere with uniform light or even from smaller 
trees the branches of which are deflected by inter- 
mittent breezes. Yet the space beyond the playing 
area should not be bare and unbroken ; an unlimited 
area makes it difficult to measure the strength of the 
stroke and accurately gauge the flight of the ball 
while it oflers no shelter from the wind, that most 
disturbing climatic agent. A good yew hedge or 
a thick line of shrubs makes a serviceable natural 
background, provided of course stop-netting is utilised ; 
but better than anything else I like the green-painted, 
closely-latticed fence about ten feet high such as is 
found behind the sand courts at Cannes. The turf 
should come right up to this fence, which ought for 
greater comfort and convenience to be continued on 
either side several feet beyond the parallel base-line. 
A background like this obviates the use of stop- 
netting, it is not so solid as to prevent light and 
air from coming through, and its cris-cross structure 
tends to prevent the ball from bounding back into 
court with disconcerting force. When a brick-wall 
is already in position a covering of thick-leaved ivy 
will form a good background and may be recom- 
mended. 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF COURTS 207 

Lawns, of course, are made either by laying turf 
or sowing seed. The chief point in favour of turf is 
a saving of time, but as against this must be set the 
additional expense and the difficulty of procuring 
really reliable turf. Much of the usual turf offered 
for sale consists of coarse meadow grasses, clovers 
and weeds ; it is quite unsuitable for the making of 
a first-class lawn. Again, if turf is laid in the spring 
the finer and most valuable grasses stand a serious 
chance of being destroyed by the hot summer sun. 

Roughly the cost of turfing a quarter of an acre 
may be estimated from /^i6 to ;^i8, whereas the 
cost of seed for the same area should not exceed 
£4., I OS. The seed-sown lawn might not be playable 
by the following June, whereas the turf plot should 
be. On the other hand, the chances of a satisfactory 
court the season after favour the seed-sown surface. 

Draining, an essential preliminary too often 
neglected, requires some expert knowledge and is 
conditional on the situation of the property and the 
quality of the soil. Land drain pipes are the most 
advantageous for draining a lawn and they should 
be laid in herring-bone fashion, a 4-inch piping for 
the main drain and a 2 to 3-inch piping for subsidiary 
drains. The pipes should be laid in trenches 18 
to 24 inches deep, the subsidiary drains being about 
10 to 15 feet apart and entering the main drain at an 
angle of over forty-five degrees in order not to arrest 
the flow of the water. It is advisable to set the 
joints in cement in the vicinity of shrubs or trees, 
otherwise their roots will enter the drain and possibly 
choke it ; also to partly fill the trenches with clinkers 
or other porous material, thereby increasing the 



2o8 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

effectiveness of the drain, especially where clay is 
concerned. As the soil in the trenches is bound to 
sink in some measure, the draining should be com- 
pleted several months before the actual sowing of the 
seed begins. 

The correct time to turf is between September 
and December. If the weather is open it is possible 
to lay turf during February or March, but the work 
is far more hazardous and the dry cold winds of late 
spring are calculated to jeopardise the life of the 
grass. The process of turfing may be briefly 
described. The ground has first to be dug to the 
depth of a spade or more and such alterations made 
in the level as are necessary. Next the ground 
must be covered with a liberal dressing of well-rotted 
dung — about one load of dung to a hundred square 
yards of ground. Fork or work the dung into the 
soil so that it becomes incorporated with the surface 
soil ; break down the surface into a fine tilth and 
rake off all large clods, stones and weed roots ; roll 
and cross roll with a light roller ; correct any defects 
in the level that may have developed ; lightly open 
up the surface with an iron rake and then lay the 
turfs which must be cut a uniform thickness upon 
the raked surface and beat it down firmly but not 
too severely with a turf beater. It is desirable to 
cover the turf with a compost made up of finely sifted 
soil with which a few pounds of grass seeds have 
been mixed. Work this compost well into the turf 
and the cracks between the turf, using a new birch 
broom or bush harrow. After removing the surplus 
compost, roll with a light roller. For the next two 
or three weeks the court may be left alone, giving 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF COURTS 209 

the turf time to settle and the roots of the grass to 
take hold. Then employ a heavy roller. 

If seed is to be sown the best period is early in 
September. The soil is warm at the end of summer 
and an abundance of rain and dew may be expected 
that is very beneficial to the growth of the seed. The 
young grass will have time to become well established 
before the cold weather arrives ; moreover the autumn 
sown grass will have got a start of the weeds which 
appear in spring. Having manured and prepared 
the seed-bed, choose a calm dry day for seeding. 
Should the soil be wet it will stick to the operator's 
boots and the level may be seriously disturbed. 
Slightly stir the surface with a rake and divide up 
the ground into strips about 3 feet wide by means of 
pegs and strings ; then divide the seed into as many 
equal portions as there are strips. Sow the seed 
(selected of course with a view to the geological 
structure of the soil) by hand with the back bent, 
taking care to spread it as evenly as possible over 
the surface. Then lightly rake in two directions, 
taking care not to bury the seed too deeply. Finally, 
roll and cross-roll with a light roller. 

Given propitious weather, the young grass should 
appear above the ground after a fortnight. When 
about one inch in height it is benefited by an 
application of malt culms, rape dust, prepared com- 
post or Carter's fertilizing fibre. A top-dressing 
Yii^i only protects the grass from extremes of 
temperature and helps to conserve moisture but 
supplies nitrogen to the young blades. When the 
grass has grown another half-inch it is ready to cut, 
which may be done either with a freely running 
14 



2IO THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

machine set rather high or with scythes. Too much 
importance cannot be attached to the necessity of 
keeping young grass (in fact any grass on a tennis 
court) cut quite short. Otherwise, instead of tillering 
out and covering the ground, it will grow thin and 
long. If thin or bare places are detected on a newly 
sown lawn they should be repaired at once by 
carefully loosing the surface soil, sowing a handful 
of seed and covering and rolling in the usual manner. 
Roughly speaking about two bushels of seeds are 
required for the full area of a court. 

Half the grass courts in this country, it is not 
too much to say, are spoiled by neglect, not only 
during the winter but while the season is actually 
in progress. If a lawn is not kept up to the mark it 
is certain to deteriorate ; the weeds will multiply, the 
soil become poverty stricken, and eventually it will 
have to be relaid, re-sown or renovated. To main- 
tain a lawn in first-class condition periodical top- 
dressing is absolutely essential, much more so when 
the turf is frequently used. Rolling and mowing are 
regular and natural processes to which it might be 
assumed close attention is devoted ; but even these 
elementary functions are often neglected. The only 
way to obtain good thick turf is by constant use 
of the mowing machine. Two inches may be 
considered the extreme length to which the grass 
should grow at any time of the year. Provided a 
lawn be free from weeds — and this qualification is 
very important because otherwise the weed seeds 
would be scattered all over the lawn — and is kept 
closely cut, the machine can be used without the 
box ; the roots will then be afforded a certain 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF COURTS 211 

amount of protection during the hot weather. I 
assume, of course, play is not actually imminent. 

Needless to say have a good machine in use, not 
a cheap, soft-metal article. Sweep the lawn before 
cutting and take special care to remove any stones, 
worm-casts or other irregularities. And do not omit 
to oil the bearings, the edges of the knives and the 
ledger blade with best ** sperm " or olive oil before 
using the machine. Any old or dried-up oil should 
be wiped off with cotton waste. The knives when 
properly set should revolve freely and cut a piece of 
note-paper at any part of the blade ; too tight setting, 
a common fault, will make the machine draw heavily. 
After using the mower give it a comprehensive 
cleaning and greasing before putting it away in a 
dry place. These may sound elementary maxims, 
but if satisfactory mowing is to be carried out they 
cannot be too strongly enforced. 

As for rolling, grass must have a firm surface 
in order that it may thrive. On a new lawn with the 
blades as yet weak a light roller can only be used, 
but as soon as the grass is strong it will bear and 
demand a heavier implement. Do not always roll in 
the same direction ; roll from north to south one day 
and from east to west the next. Do not roll when 
the ground is hard and dry, when no good accrues, 
or during frosty weather, when only serious damage 
results ; but roll frequently during the spring and 
autumn.^ A wooden roller made up in segments 
with the outer edges rounded may be recommended 
for light work and one need hardly add that if a horse 

^ For the method of marking out and fitting up a court see p. 174 
and Appendix. 



212 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

is employed to drag a roller the animal should wear 
leather ''shoes." When watering — and this process 
should never be carried out under a hot sun — dis- 
tribute the water evenly over the court, giving it 
sufficient moisture to go down to a depth of 6 
inches. 

The renovating and upkeep of a lawn during the 
off-season is imperative. Immediately the season 
ends any traces of weeds should be removed and the 
level of the court corrected. The weeds must come 
up, root and branch : insist on seeing the roots 
before they are thrown away. Top dressing I have 
already mentioned. In nine cases out of ten the 
base-line will want patching and for this purpose a 
nursery should be an indispensable adjunct to every 
club. It should be a perfectly simple matter to 
prepare two plots of land, sow them down and 
maintain them in exactly the same way and with the 
same care as the courts themselves. There will then 
be found ready to hand adequate material for re- 
novating all the worn places. When one plot is 
cleared away, level it up and sow it again — the cost 
is immaterial while the convenience is great. Never 
be without a well-stocked turf nursery is a golden rule. 
Sheep under certain conditions are useful winter 
guardians ; they will manure the grass, keep it short 
and by constantly moving about help to give the turf 
a firm surface. Expense may thus be saved in cutting, 
rolling and manuring. But sheep in the spring should 
be cake or artificially fed, otherwise they do little 
good except keep the grass short. Beware of the 
sheep that pull out the small grass rootlets. Indeed, 
except when the club cannot afford the ordinary 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF COURTS 213 

methods of cutting, rolling and manuring, one is not 
inclined to recommend the employment of sheep. 

Courts for winter play, both covered and hard, 
loom so largely on the horizon of the modern lawn 
tennis player that they would have received separate 
treatment in this volume had not the manner of their 
making been exhaustively treated by thoroughly 
competent authorities at a comparatively recent date.^ 
Plans, however, are given of the new covered court 
at Queen's Club, erected under the supervision of 
Mr. G. L. Orme in 1905 — a court that in nearly 
every respect may be regarded as a model for the 
prospective owner of an indoor arena. Mr. Orme 
is of opinion that asphalt makes a dead floor and 
renders the bound of the ball unsatisfactory. My 
experiences of the indoor asphalt court at Lyons 
scarcely endorse this view. Tiring to the feet it 
may be, as Mr. Orme suggests, but so far as uni- 
formity and elasticity went this particular surface, 
painted green, left nothing to be desired. After the 
hard sand courts on the Riviera I found the asphalt 
floor of Lyons more tractable than the oak floor at 
Auteuil, where, by the way, the run-back is inadequate 
and the timbered roof too low ; and personally I 
would rather pass from grass to asphalt than from 
grass to wood. The first covered court in existence, 
that belonging to the old Maida Vale Club,^ had 

^ See chapter on " Hard Courts and Covered Courts" in the Badminton 
volume ; also directions in Lawn Tennis^ by W. Baddeley. 

2 The Maida Vale court was replaced in 1885 by the Hyde Park 
Club court which was the scene of the Covered Court Championships 
for ten years and the nursery of many fine players. Its surface was 
made of parallel wooden boards 4 inches wide, laid on bearers i foot 
apart. This court is now used for cycle lessons and as a skating rink. 







S'l 






CO 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF COURTS 215 

an asphalt floor which still elicits the praise of its 
former patrons. However, the weight of expert 
opinion is in favour of a well-laid wooden floor. It 
is affirmed that the jar to the feet is less while the 
bound of the ball more nearly resembles that on a 
hard and true turf surface, which, I take it, is the 
plane par excellence for lawn tennis. 

Wood block is too dead, a fact proved when the old 
courts at Queen's Club were first laid. A few years 
ago they were relaid with boards of American maple 
I inch thick and 3J inches wide, put down on joists. 
These, again, are not altogether satisfactory. The 
boards have warped to a certain degree and con- 
sequently the floor is not quite true ; further the 
nature of the stain has rendered them more slippery 
than is desirable. In the floor of the new court 
American white wood, also known as bass wood, has 
been employed, the boards being i^ inch thick and 
4 inches wide, grooved and tongued and secret 
nailed, laid on 5-inch by 2-inch joists, 12 inches 
apart. This floor has been pronounced by the best 
players as eminently satisfactory. The floor is 
finished with oil stain of a green colour that makes a 
good surface ; the bound of the ball has sufficient 
spring without being too fast. In America, by the 
way, canvas stretched tight over the floor area has 
been used with satisfactory results. 

In regard to background for a covered court 
nothing is more effective than a green baize curtain 
7 feet 6 inches high, hung the whole width of the 
end walls. Green in fact, here as outside, is the 
best colour for walls, natural or artificial. The run- 
back of a good covered court should be 20 feet 




2l6 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF COURTS 217 

with a 1 2 -feet margin at the sides — the old courts 
at Queen's have not quite so much. Mr. Orme 
believes that the best light is admitted through a 
glass roof and not through side windows. In 
Stockholm, where the building of covered courts 
has been zealously studied, the light at the Crown 
Prince's Club is admitted not through a glass roof 
which could not bear the weight of winter snow, but 
through a clear-story similar to that in a Gothic 
church, blinds being fixed to regulate the rays of 
the sun. When I was at Stockholm the weather 
did not provide the normal quantity of light and I 
was not able to sample this famous court under 
the best conditions, but I can well believe that the 
Swedish method under the circumstances is a sound 
one. If a glass roof is adopted, the glass should 
occupy about two-thirds of the area. The latest 
system of patent glazing is a great improvement on 
the old method of wooden bars with glass puttied 
in — the putty in time perished, admitting rain. In 
the modern glazing no putty is used ; the glass 
fits into metal clips fashioned as to be impervious 
to water. 

Spectators at Queen's are accommodated in 
galleries running round the walls ; but I am inclined 
to think that both players and public are handi- 
capped by this system — the players because their 
aim when taking overhead balls is apt to be diverted 
by the movements of the crowd and the public 
because, perched above the play, they cannot fully 
appreciate either its speed or its finer phases. With 
this view Mr. Orme agrees, his opinion being 
that the best arrangement would be tiers of seats 



2i8 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

fixed on the ground at each side. At Stockholm 
there is an open *' box " on one side of both courts, 
and since these are placed end-to-end and divided 
off by a substantial "organ loft," an excellent view 
of the play may be obtained from the floor. The 
spectator may have his choice of a bird's-eye or 
surface view, and the player is not disturbed. The 
Crown Princes Club, by the way, is used at night, 
being equipped with hanging Swedish lamps. The 
powerful light from these is thrown up on huge 
umbrella - shaped shades which distribute it evenly 
over the whole court. Lawn tennis has also been 
pursued in some measure by artificial light in this 
country, but not with very satisfactory results. 
Experiments on an extensive basis are, I under- 
stand, now being prosecuted. 

Roughly speaking, the cost of a covered court, 
built of brick walls, with a wooden floor and a glass 
roof such as I have described, the remaining portions 
of the latter being lead or slate, would be ;^25oo. 
In this estimate the three principal features may 
be divided as follows: walls ;^iioo, floor ;^400 
and roof ^looo. A court of which the walls are 
made of corrugated iron, with match-boarding inside, 
the roof being supported on iron stanchions, might 
be built for ^1200. 



CHAP.TER XV 

HOME TOURNAMENTS I HAVE VISITED 

Effects of travelling — Respect to local feelings — Minor trials and 
tribulations — Round the Metropolitan meetings — The danger of too 
many tournaments — Memories of the Northern — A conception of rus 
in urbe — The " well idea " at Edgbaston — The boon of a clear Sunday 
— Some devices at Newcastle — The pseudonym considered — Recollec- 
tions of Moffat and the Scottish championships — Fitzwilliam week — 
The pertinacity of the Yorkshireman — The Welsh championships — A 
full-dress rehearsal of Wimbledon — A holiday tour on the East 
Coast — Seaside meetings on the South Coast — Some impressions of 
Eastbourne 

WIMBLEDON I have '' covered" (as the 
news-editors say) In another chapter. 
Here I propose to unload a few recollec- 
tions of some of the open meetings in Great Britain 
and Ireland at which it has been my privilege to 
appear as a humble competitor. The pleasures of a 
lawn tennis tournament are not entirely extracted 
from contests on the field of play. In addition, 
there are many engagements and diversions that 
tend to ease the labourer's task and promote friend- 
ship and goodwill. Without such attributes a tennis 
week, however exhilarating the rallies might be, 
would lose the salt which adds flavour. Most 
zealous lawn tennis players go on tour at some 
time in their career, and those who have *' carried 

ai9 



2 20 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

their bags" readily admit that a well-selected, not 
too exacting, round of holiday tournaments offers 
the very best medium for improving play and 
sampling the attractions of other cities and other 
citizens. Now that the motor car has become almost 
a vehicle of the people, it can be and often is utilised 
as a transport to the merry meeting grounds, or at 
least can be employed to annihilate the short dis- 
tance that divides one tournament from the next. 
Quite recently a party of Midland players carried out 
a match tour by motor car and from reports that came 
to hand one gathered that railway trains will hence- 
forward be voted obsolete by these pilgrims. It 
would be interesting to test the relative effects which 
a 40-H.P. Daimler, say, and an express train, 
both travelling at about the same rate, would 
exercise on the lawn tennis form of two players at 
the end of the journey. My own impression is 
(though my friend, A. F. Wilding, an intrepid motor- 
cyclist, probably holds a different opinion) that the 
train-carried passenger would win. But coming to 
court on a rationally paced motor car is another 
matter ; in this case the vision and the nerves are 
not subjected to a tension obviously bad. The 
motor -borne player has then nearly the best of 
everything. 

During a season's tours up and down the country 
the lawn tennis player must be careful to pay proper 
respect to local feeling and must guard against offend- 
ing the susceptibilities of those who not only sacrifice 
much of their time to promote the success of the 
meeting but often cater directly for the creature 
comforts of the visitor. I recall the case of one 



HOME TOURNAMENTS I HAVE VISITED 221 

competitor who apparently preferred the company of 
his own bag to that of a lady who had just served 
him with tea, when the latter's motor car was stand- 
ing at the entrance gate to take them both home. 
Another player is reported to have borrowed a com- 
mittee-man's heavy overcoat for an umpiring bout 
and kept it until it and he came boldly along next 
year ! A pseudo-champion, once condescending to 
play with the president of the club in the handicap 
doubles, pleaded when the first round was called 
that he had sprained his elbow. Yet on the next 
day he was able to contest five matches in open 
events. I once met a competitor who openly accused 
the handicapper of favouring local committee-men 
because, quite properly, he was made to concede 
odds to two of them ! I mention these well-founded 
instances not because they typify the habits and 
manners of tournament players as a body — that 
goes without saying — but to illustrate the degree 
to which uncouth behaviour at an open meeting 
may occasionally go ; in short, to emphasize the 
responsibility which falls on every competitor to 
maintain the dignity and good name of the tennis 
community. Leave a good impression behind you 
not only of your style and methods in court but of 
your social bearing towards the ''local people." 
That seems to me justifiable advice. Remember 
that in some districts the tournament is the week of 
the year, long anticipated and not soon forgotten. 
Your name may be in the mouth of every player 
in the district, anxiously waiting to see you perform. 
Let your personality subsequently be the subject for 
favourable comment. 



2 22 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

Causes for irritation and distraction apart from 
those on the court itself are bound to arise. There 
is the business telegram, generally timed by some evil 
agency to arrive the very moment we are stepping 
into court to contest an important tie. There is the 
late opponent, or, worse still, the late partner. There 
is the unwelcome discovery that the steel points which 
our conviction assured us had been carefully packed 
in brown paper in a corner of our bag have been left 
at home. A favourite racket takes it into its gutted 
head to snap one of its tendons just as we unscrew 
the press. A lady partner, hitherto immune from 
physical ailments, sprains her ankle in getting out of 
the train or falls off her bicycle and cuts her palm 
open. The groundman has forgotten to dry our 
only spare shirt. The lager beer is bad ; the supply 
of viands runs short. We contract an attack of 
'* cold feet " on hearing that our opponent has a 
fiendish breakaway service. It rains the moment 
we remove our blanket coat. There are a hundred 
and one small trials and tribulations sent, I doubt not, 
by an inscrutable Providence to test the spirit of the 
competitor. You will find, in lawn tennis as in other 
things that the men (and women) who ride gaily and 
roughshod over the minor worries are the men (and 
women) who succeed. Some players are, of course, 
constitutionally more susceptible than others. But 
the more one considers these mental upheavals and 
their causes afterwards, the more is one convinced 
that their justification is not so real as it originally 
seemed and that their repression should be sternly 
encouraged if progress is to be made. 

But we must paddle back from this backwater to 



HOME TOURNAMENTS I HAVE VISITED 223 

the main stream. There is now so much scope for 
the tournament competitor round London that, if he 
does not object to the daily survey of myriad chimneys 
through the window of a railway carriage and does 
not mind sometimes scrambling for a court and 
waiting until dark for an opponent, he can wield his 
racket at Metropolitan meetings from the last week 
in May to the last week in July. Beginning at 
suburban Surbiton he can end at urban Redhill, and 
in the interval he can have inspected the subterranean 
dressing-rooms at Chiswick Park, the choice and 
multi-coloured dresses of the ladies at Beckenham, 
the no less dazzling display of fashion at East 
Croydon, the undulating character of the courts at 
Watford, the aristocratic associations of Queen's, the 
perspiring efforts of the " five-o'-clockers " at Gipsy 
and the side-shows at the Crystal Palace. These and 
other attractions, including the Wimbledon carnival 
to which all men's footsteps turn towards the end of 
June, are open to him. I have known players make 
the complete circuit of these London tournaments and 
sell shares or coal on 'Change in between. Imagine 
what this feat means — for it is a feat. Say half a 
dozen meetings are visited in succession, and no more 
than two hard matches are contested each day. This 
means that the business man, working at his office by 
the clock from ten to four, must be prepared to play 
twelve matches a week and over seventy matches in 
the prescribed period. Sometimes he may be required 
to play as many as three matches in one day, 
especially if he contrives to show himself early. A 
percentage of these may be, and often are, ''rabbit- 
hunts " ; but they involve time and exertion. A bout 



2 24 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

of lawn tennis after business hours is a splendid tonic 
and nerve-bracer — there is none better — but I question 
the wisdom of competing without a break at all of 
these London gatherings. I feel certain the chances 
of a man being stale at Wimbledon or at the holiday 
tournaments are, if he does so, very great. With 
even more force does this reflection apply to 
ladies. They may not have business claims to settle 
— they are fortunate in that respect — but the majority 
of them have home ties, or I suspect they have, and 
one cannot believe, apart from this consideration, that 
a *' rush-round " all the London meetings, with their 
attendant train journeys and possibly hurried or 
belated meals, is beneficial in the long run. Do not 
imagine I would wish to see any of the London 
tournaments discontinued. They are deservedly 
popular and most of them are well managed. They 
bring together men and women of different clubs 
and sometimes afford the only opportunity for the 
local player to meet other players. They provide a 
convenient excuse for the country cousin to visit 
London and for the London hostess to absorb the 
subtleties of tennis ''shop." May they live long! 
And I hope the zealous competitors who boast that 
they have not missed a single meeting on the circuit 
will also attain longevity. 

I have never yet been to Manchester without 
using an umbrella and I have never yet been lucky 
enough to see a dry court on the Northern Clubs 
ground. They must have some fine days in Lanca- 
shire or they wouldn't need barometers — and I have 
vainly tapped many in this district. I recall tapping 
one so vigorously at the capacious mansion of Mr. 



HOME TOURNAMENTS I HAVE VISITED 225 

Joseph Duckworth, my genial host at Heaton Mersey, 
that Norman Brookes, who was trying to telephone 
to Wilding at Sheffield, fancied something had got 
on the wires. Anent climatic vagaries, I remember 
that poor Harold Mahony, attempting to gain a foot- 
hold at one Northern meeting, removed his shoes 
and suffered his borrowed socks to slide about in 
the mud. Miss May Sutton too, not so long ago, 
soiled her pink ribbons and her season's record by 
trying to drive In what she described in her best 
Californlan as a ** cattle track." Of course Miss 
Sutton did not mean to impugn the quality of the 
Northern courts, nor do I — they are really very good 
when they are dry ; and this meeting, one of the best 
managed in the country, certainly one of the best 
patronized by the public, has traditions and a fame 
which claim respect. County matches here have a 
status which they do not elsewhere enjoy — more 
perhaps Is the pity — and the Lancashire team, when 
mobilized at full strength, is by no means to be 
despised. It was at Old Trafford that two of its 
leading members, X. E. Casdagli and S. E. Charlton, 
inflicted the first public defeat which Norman Brookes 
experienced in doubles in 1907. I can see the beam- 
ing faces of the local partisans now ; it had tempor- 
arily stopped raining and the ropes and stands were 
thronged. 

The Northern championships, like the golf 
championships, are movable feasts, but they journey 
In a fixed orbit — one year at Old Trafford, the next 
at Algburth. It has been said that the equipment 
of the meeting Is transported from Manchester to 
Liverpool and vice versa by means of the Ship Canal 
15 



2 26 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

and if this is so it may account for the black-speckled 
balls which biannually make their appearance on the 
Old Trafford courts ! I suspect the real cause of 
new balls changing their colour like chameleons is 
the adjacent presence of a railway line notorious for 
its rich smoke ! Aigburth is much the pleasanter 
of the two Northern grounds — spacious, open, even 
picturesque. It is sumptuously equipped with a 
county cricket pavilion (to which the luxury of a late 
dinner is added) and delightfully free from the smoke 
and dust of cities. Here Mr. B. C. Evelegh can 
survey from his tent a sward sedulously tended by 
the local groundmen, while the committee may assure 
themselves that, unless a succession of thunderstorms 
passes over the courts (as it has been known to do 
before now) their stands will be well filled throughout 
the week. It was at Liverpool that I first became 
sensitive of S. H. Smith's sterling capacity as a mixed 
double player in partnership with Miss E. W. 
Thomson.^ This combination, working on the same 
lines, proved as successful as the Riseley-Smith coali- 
tion, Miss Thomson, as everyone knows, being a 
particularly nimble volleyer. S. H. Smith and F. L. 
Riseley for many years dominated the Northern 
meeting. Smith won the singles seven years in 
succession and the doubles with Riseley for five. 
The West of England pair may well pat each other's 
backs over their Northern exploits. The name of 
nearly every player of eminence is emblazoned on 
the Northern rolls. Here the All England Mixed 
Doubles Championship, first annexed by Ernest Ren- 
shaw and Mrs. Hillyard, came into being, remaining 

^ Now Mrs. Dudley Larcombe. 



HOME TOURNAMENTS I HAVE VISITED 227 

with varying fortunes ever since. For five years H. S. 
Mahony and the lady who is now Mrs. S terry were 
Invincible. Miss Lottie Dod and Miss Martin were 
among its shining lights for several years. Here, 
too, first Pirn and then Wilfred Baddeley had each a 
four years' reign as champion. 

I always like the Midland meeting at Edgbaston, 
chiefly because it realises one's conception of rus in 
urbe. A cab will take you from your Birmingham 
hotel to the entrance in twenty minutes unless your 
horse falls down the steep avenue which leads to the 
ground. And once there you might easily imagine 
you were miles away from the mainspring of Midland 
commerce. I have tried hard to discover a single 
chimney from the top of the terrace but have never 
succeeded. I hope I never shall. The courts here 
have been carefully laid with an eye to picturesque 
effect intensified by the natural beauties of this 
park-like district. Some are better than others ; it 
would be too much to expect twenty courts used 
throughout the summer to be of the same quality. 
But they are all serviceable and the ''gallery" surface 
is usually first-class. Here the ''well idea," which 
renders the erection of unsightly stands unnecessary, 
has been carried out most efficaciously and the 
drainage being sound, there is no excretion of surface 
water. The pavilion Is roomy and comfortable and 
has lately received the additional luxury of a glass- 
walled reading and writing-room, from which, dry 
and at ease, one can pity the poor fellows required 
by the exigencies of the programme to wage their 
battles in the rain. That hospitable appendage, the 
invitation tea tent, is also welcomed here, presided 



228 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

over daily by leading ladies of the district. One 
always feels "at home" at Edgbaston. The com- 
mittee, headed by the brothers Burges — I am not 
sure whether they are twins or not : so many tennis 
brothers are there — enterprising Howard Todd, 
another Howard — Howard Smith, Arthur Short, 
H. H. Monckton (never happier than when umpiring 
in the gallery court) and others, seem to have 
cultivated a knack in this respect. 

There is nothing a tennis tourist in full cry enjoys 
more than a clear Sunday, a Sunday entirely free 
from tennis talk or tennis problems. Motoring may 
here have its uses, and I shall always remember with 
gratitude the excursion which my host, Mr. Charles 
Hide, of the Birmingharn Post, contrived for one or 
two of us in Shakespeare's country. It included a 
visit to Stratford's honoured sights and a run through 
some of tjie daintiest scenery in Warwickshire. A 
distinguished traveller was of the party and he knew 
not only every stile and almost every stone in the 
district, but many other lands beside. We buried 
the racket gladly for the time being. 

Newcastle-on-Tyne is a far cry for the southerner, 
but the Northumberland county tournament is well 
worth a visit, if only to see how thoroughly the 
Northern officials can manage a big meeting. Each 
year for one week the executive have the use of the 
county cricket ground, a little more than a stone's 
throw from the famous Jesmond Dene, and to 
splendid service do they put this enclosure. Though 
the courts are neither very dry nor very true (indeed 
they require the impossible, a season's care and 
attention) yet they are quite as good as many genuine 



HOME TOURNAMENTS I HAVE VISITED 229 

courts confined to tennis. A peep into the committee 
shed here (they use nothing so fragile as a tent) 
brings home to you the fact that every big tourna- 
ment has its business side, its many departments and 
its many extraneous worries. New inventions to 
facilitate both players and public alike have a habit 
of coming out at Newcastle. One — I think it was 
conceived by Mr. Ellwood Holmes, formerly honorary 
secretary of the meeting — was a small metal slot whicji 
could be hung on the umpire's ladder. It displayed 
numbers corresponding to those in the programme 
and at once informed the spectator both of the event 
in progress and the identity of the players. Perhaps 
if this serviceable device were adopted at all tourna- 
ments it might abolish the habit which a few players 
contract of assuming absurd pseudonyms. Imagine 
the smile of amused contempt passing over the face 
of a spectator who turns to his programme and finds 
that "A.L.G.Y. Dear" is competing against *' M.Y. 
Darling " ! If a nom de guerre is necessary — and 
only under very exceptionable circumstances can I 
see that it is — ^surely the imagination of the gentleman 
who wishes to conceal the fact that he is playing 
lawn tennis can rise higher than an alias that brings 
the game into the realm of opera bouffe. That 
reflection has nothing to do with Newcastle, where 
for all I know to the contrary grandmothers and 
uncles with legacies to leave may live for ever and 
never require to be buried on the day that a legatee 
is down to play a tournament tie. 

Newcastle has its honoured names. I have only 
space to mention here Mr. A. J. Harrison, the father 
of the game in the district and in others besides; 



2 30 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

Mr. A. E. Bainbridge, under the roof of whose 
beautiful mansion every champion of both sexes must 
at one time and another have stayed ; the .YoiiU 
family who have, inter alia, presented the thirty- 
guinea challenge cup for the open singles ; Mr. F. H. 
Corder, who, sitting at the left hand of Mr. Evelegh 
throughout the week, could probably qualify for a 
touring refereeship if he were not now grey in the 
service of the Northumberland Association ; Mr. 
Ellwood Holmes whom I have previously mentioned, 
Mr. Wilfred Hall, Mr. R. N. Sutton, Mr. Myles 
Watson, Mr. A. W. White and others. 

Going farther north is Moffat, the venue of the 
Scottish Championships, managed for some years by 
Mr. A. Wallace McGregor, a pillar of Scottish lawn 
tennis and a several-years' holder of the doubles title. 
I confess to no great liking for the Moffat courts or 
climate. My opinion may be coloured by the fact 
that I have sampled them only once, but there it is. 
I went to Moffat to be braced up, but as a tonic it 
proved immeasurably inferior to Buxton, my next 
point of call. F. W. Payn was at the Scottish 
Championships that year and won the title. I 
remember in the handicap doubles we played a 
fairly close match with Wiley Grant and Robert" 
Leroy, the young Americans. I mention this match 
because I recollect that Mr. L. J. Grant, father of 
the aforesaid Wiley, was so anxious my partner 
should not be guilty of a foot-fault, the direst mis- 
demeanour in the eyes of this zealous parent, that he 
not only posted himself opposite the line, crossing 
over as we crossed over, but buttonholed half a dozen 
other onlookers before we began and requested that 



HOME TOURNAMENTS I HAVE VISITED 231 

they too should critically gaze upon Payn's feet. It 
was Mr. Grant — I know he will forgive me for 
recalling these incidents — about whom a story may 
be told which shows him to be an almost idolatrous 
father. Wiley — I am not sure whether it was at 
Moffat or not but I think it was — had lost a match 
by the rim of his racket, and Mr. Grant had set his 
heart on his son winning it. So mournful was he 
over the reverse that throughout the evening he 
related to everybody who would lend him his ear the 
progress of the match, game by game, almost stroke 
by stroke. The pathetic note always came at the 
end and the phrase was never varied : ** Five three, 
forty love and Wiley serving ! " This testimonial to 
his son's serving capacity and his dismay at its fatal 
aberration tickled our fancies immensely — for the last 
sentence was always the same. I remember one 
practical joker — it was really rather rude — went round 
inviting all kinds of people, even waiters, to innocently 
approach Mr. Grant and crave details of Wiley's 
sensational defeat. 

Though boasting a national championship the 
Moffat meeting has rarely attracted a very large or 
a very representative entry ; it is one of those tour- 
naments where the man who receives the entry could 
make a safe book on the winners. But if the play 
itself is not exceptionally stern, the tournament has 
many independent attractions. There are several 
charming walks ; the adjacent hydro, at which nearly 
all the players forgather, is a delightful rendezvous. 
Here is a capacious swimming bath much patronized 
by players after their matches, always ** something 
going on" after dinner, and the food is Scotch and 



232 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

wholesome. Can it be the porridge that keeps the 
good English lady players away? For some reason 
or other they rarely reveal themselves at Moffat. 

Fitzwilliam week ! Its glories have faded since all 
Dublin society, in dresses that would have done credit 
to Ascot, gathered in Fitzwilliam Square, sometimes 
four thousand strong, to applaud the fierce rallies of 
Lawford and Renshaw, and later the no less capti- 
vating exhibitions of Hamilton, Pim, the Baddeleys, 
the Dohertys and other giants. The Irish champion- 
ships in those days rivalled the Horse Show in popular 
attraction and in the harvest of gold they brought 
the hotel - keepers. Under Master (now Colonel) 
Courtenay's matchless control the tournament vied 
with Wimbledon as the meeting of the year. Irish 
hospitality was dispensed with regal liberality and 
every prominent English player braved the billows 
of St. George's Channel with a fortitude inspired by 
habit. Alas ! that a combination of circumstances 
should have caused this famous meeting to be now 
but a shadow of its former self. Even the battle- 
ground has been changed and the fashionable crowds 
have melted away. Happily signs of revived interest 
are now visible and Ireland may yet rear another 
band of players which shall challenge the picked men 
of England. Dublin at the present time can produce 
one or two players of conspicuous ability and given 
further intercourse with the best English exponents 
these should reach an even higher plane. The '* Irish 
drive " is not a lost art yet, nor is Irish hospitality one 
smile less enticing. The Chaytors are still there to 
welcome the English invader, as I found and appre- 
ciated, and better sportsmen than J. F. Stokes, J. C. 



HOME TOURNAMENTS I HAVE VISITED 233 

Parke, H. N. Craig and T. D. Good, the leaders of 
the Irish brigade, one could not wish to meet. 

Commend me to the Yorkshiremen for pertinacity 
on the tennis court. The county of broad shires may 
not breed champions whose skill repels the foreign 
invader and is the cynosure of all eyes at Wimbledon, 
but it produces hundreds of clubs the members of 
which are as tough and as enthusiastic as any players 
I have ever met. Leeds, Sheffield and Hull all have 
their complement of level-headed, indomitable votaries, 
possessing that timely virtue of extracting hopeless 
matches out of the fire and of now and then achieving 
remarkable success against opponents ranked in a 
higher class. One does not forget that the Yorkshire 
team recently won the county championship under 
circumstances which strikingly demonstrated their 
tough-hearted qualities and their capacity for effective 
combination. They are fortunate in possessing such 
a zealous and sanguine mentor as Mr. Clement Pflaum, 
the treasurer of the Yorkshire L.T.A. who in addition 
to " fathering " the county team keeps a watchful eye 
over promising recruits and is keenly on the alert at 
the Yorkshire trial matches. I have a great respect 
for Mr. Pflaum's organizing power, a signal illustration 
of which is annually furnished at that colossal August 
bank holiday tournament held at Ilkley, the Mecca of 
all Leeds players and of many others beside. At this 
moorland meeting — quite a feature of the season as 
regards the number of its entries and the spirit of 
fierce competition that prevails — as many as four 
hundred and fifty matches have been finished in 
three days, sixteen courts being employed. Almost 
as many players enter for the open singles here as at 



2 34 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

Wimbledon and the man who would force his way- 
through to the final stages must be prepared, practic- 
ally speaking, to remain on court while the clock 
completes a circuit. The handicapping at Ilkley, a 
task involving the burning of many candles, is an 
object lesson in fairness, and the results testify to its 
remarkable accuracy. Here the brothers Watson are 
usually to the fore. Here, too, are several Yorkshire 
pairs capable of bagging a set from the elect. Scar- 
borough I have not visited since one of the Baddeleys, 
a brother, I fancy, of the twins, won almost the last All 
England junior championship contested at this breezy 
spa. I remember the wind blowing a service back 
over the net and I think I saw H. S. Barlow smash 
a ball that bounced out of the ground. That must 
be fifteen years ago. The Yorkshire Association 
tournament is now held on different courts — courts 
that succeeded in drawing the Dohertys back to the 
provinces a couple of seasons back. 

Whenever I have been to the Welsh champion- 
ships ^ at Newport, the weather has been so tropical 
as to make one turn, gratefully if guiltily, to the hot 
and cold *' showers " thoughtfully provided in the 
pavilion. The courts here are as a rule very true 
and very well preserved and the management of the 
meeting displays a warm regard for the interest of the 
players and spectators. For nearly ten years the 
meeting witnessed a succession of triumphs for S. H. 
Smith, who has revelled in the hard, sun-baked surface, 
and for three years it welcomed the invincible Miss 
Sutton who closed her vigorous campaign at the 

^ Instituted first at Penarth, near Cardiff, June 14, 1886, under the 
patronage of Lord Windsor. 



HOME TOURNAMENTS I HAVE VISITED 235 

Welsh championships by bearing off the eighty-guinea 
challenge cup presented by the late Marquis of Bute. 
The fact that Smith and Miss Sutton appreciate a 
high bound testifies to the elasticity of the Newport 
courts. The fast surface also suits that fine forehand 
exponent, J. M. Boucher, who on the two occasions 
that Smith did not enter won the title. Not a grace- 
ful exponent, for no player could be who keeps his 
elbow and wrist so stiff, Boucher is the quintessence 
of accuracy and steadiness. His handicap record — I 
have seen him give almost impossible odds and survive 
— must nearly equal that of Ernest Renshaw. ** I've 
drawn Boucher in the first round and may as well go 
home," is not an uncommon expression in the dressing 
room at Newport. 

Buxton to my mind has the best air of any place 
in England where tournaments are held, and were it 
not lugubriously associated in the minds of tourists 
with moist courts and dripping tents, would assuredly 
regain its former glory. The meeting takes place 
in the pleasure gardens, as at Leamington, and is 
the venue of the ladies' doubles championship, won 
last year by Mrs. Hillyard and the late Miss C. 
Meyer. A terrific gale blew over the ground one 
year I was there, and the referees' tent was only 
saved from utter destruction by the united efforts of 
players and officials. Leicester has great attractions 
for me. It is not a large meeting but the entry for 
the open events bristles with big names, and thanks 
to the interest displayed in it by Mr. and Mrs. 
George Hillyard, who *'put up" a small army of 
*' cracks" at Thorpe Satchville, the public are 
enabled to see almost a full - dress rehearsal of 



2 36 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

Wimbledon. My friend, Harry S. Scrivener, pulls 
the strings at Leicester, and pulls them with com- 
mendable placidity and dignity. Indeed, so mindful 
are the committee of the value of his services that 
instead of sending him to a common hotel they 
provide a noble clubhouse in the centre of the town 
for his habitation at night. Scrivener is the lord of 
some thirty rooms for four days. Save for an odd 
servant or two he is alone in the building ; it 
requires the instinct of a bloodhound to track him 
down. 

The East Coast provides a salubrious August 
holiday round, particularly serviceable to the player 
who seeks a brisk circuit with his racket rarely cased. 
He may begin at Saxmundham, in the charming 
park belonging to the Right Honourable Walter 
Long, M.P., a fortnight's campaign that will take 
him subsequently to Colchester, where he must make 
due allowance for an inclined plane, and then on to 
Felixstowe, a popular if somewhat wind-swept tourna- 
ment. The irrepressible Aliens, with their inexhaust- 
ible fund of tittle-tattle, used to make this round 
regularly, and I can see the cherubic Charlie Allen 
sitting in the little parlour of the Bell Inn at 
Saxmundham inviting every player who passed the 
window to come in and celebrate the slaughter of 
the ** rabbits." The addiction of the twins to a 
thirst-quencher after a hot day on the courts has 
yielded many stories. One of the best is that which 
depicts *'E. R. " entering a private bar and ordering 
his special concoction. Having consumed this potion 
with one pull " E. R. " leaves the bar. '* C. G. " as 
like his brother as one pea is to another, enters and 



HOME TOURNAMENTS I HAVE VISITED 237 

duly drinks his particular " refresher." The landlord 
naturally thinks both his customers are one and the 
same man, and his astonishment may be imagined 
when **E. R. " comes back in a few minutes for a 
** repeat order" ! 

Almost every holiday resort that respects itself 
and seeks modern recognition now has its annual 
tournament. There are so many flourishing and 
enjoyable meetings on the South Coast, for example, 
that an intrepid channel swimmer wishing to visit 
them all need pay nothing in railway fares. Folke- 
stone, Hythe, Eastbourne, Brighton, Shanklin, 
Falmouth are only some which have their weeks, and 
were the tourist gifted with the aquatic powers of 
Captain Webb he could swim across to Boulogne 
and Dieppe and there pursue his campaign. Brighton 
and Eastbourne are the climax of the season and the 
final muster at both seems each year to become more 
imposing and more unwieldy. About eight hundred 
matches were played on the county ground at Hove 
in the 1907 tournament, a record task even for the 
celebrated management of Mr. Evelegh and Mr. 
Lionel King, and more than this total the following 
week at Eastbourne. Devonshire Park makes its 
appeal on a scale which includes guaranteed fine 
weather, a large and appreciative gallery, musical 
accompaniments, a hundred outdoor tea - tables, 
evening concerts and fireworks. The lists here 
bring together young and old in motley profusion. 
Eastbourne is the only tournament save Wimbledon 
(where there are no handicap events) that habitually 
runs over into the second week. The wily veteran 
is much in evidence, never so quietly effective as 



238 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

when tackling a young blood who strolls up in a 
loud blazer and casts a half-contemptuous, half- 
joyful look at the grey hairs. To Eastbourne 
also comes in ever-increasing numbers the young 
lady who has made a hit at her suburban club and 
who has been given to understand by her friends 
that a couple of seasons only divides her from the 
championship at Wimbledon. Disillusionment may 
follow after an early exit from the handicap events 
or it may be temporarily delayed until some opponent 
of ten years' experience of tournaments, conceding 
half-thirty and owing as much, gently crushes the 
aspirant, as she herself was crushed a decade before. 
There is nothing like an open prize meeting to reveal 
the fact that proficiency and honours at lawn tennis 
can only be purchased after a long and arduous 
apprenticeship. 



CHAPTER XVI 

THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP 

(1900-1903) 

The symbol of international supremacy — Why the first British team 
failed — Roper Barrett gives his impressions and offers some criticisms — 
Englishmen taken on the flank — Ward and Davis create a sensation at 
Wimbledon — The Dohertys and Dr. Pim go to America — Comments on 
Dr. Pim's selection for the internationals — The States team triumphs at 
Bay Ridge — Ten thousand spectators watch a single combat — Dohertys 
demonstrate their invincible skill in the doubles — The screw service and 
its effects — " R. F." reaches the challenge round at Newport — England 
challenges again and the Dohertys "sweep the board" — Another un- 
expected situation for Mr. Collins — How the issue hung in the balance 
at Longwood — The Cup finally lifted — An American appreciation of 
" H. L." 



THE Story of the Dwight Davis Challenge 
Cup Competition is a rich record of inter- 
national rivalry, patriotic fervour and strenu- 
ous endeavour. The massive solid silver punch-bowl 
lined with gold, valued at about ^200 and presented 
by Mr. Dwight F. Davis of St. Louis, bears a relation- 
ship to lawn tennis somewhat akin to that of the 
America Cup and yachting. And so far as public 
interest in America is concerned the ifight for this 
trophy, symbol of international supremacy, has aroused 
as much excitement and attracted as many onlookers 
as the struggles of British and American racing craft 
off Sandy Hook. We may even draw a more specific 



240 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

analogy between these two contests. Both have 
sprung from American enterprise and from the In- 
herent desire of Americans to assert their supremacy 
in every branch of sport. Both are governed by 
hard and fast regulations which, though they have 
never Impaired the cordial relations of the rival 
authorities, have yielded a demand for modification 
or adjustment. Both, on the days of actual conflict, 
have been influenced In result by the vagaries of the 
weather and by conditions peculiar to the scene of 
action ; and both have brought out the distinctively 
constructive methods, as well as the sporting tempera- 
ments, of the two countries. At first sight the 
maritime passage of a wind-propelled yacht may 
appear to have little or nothing in common with 
the human -projected flight of a tennis ball on a 
lawn. Yet the successful issue of the first depends 
largely on human effort — on the skilful handling of 
the wheel, the care of the canvas, the training and 
control of the crew, and a complete knowledge of 
the course. If we substitute a racket for the wheel, 
regard the crew as human muscles and the course as 
confined within the limits of a court, the comparison 
becomes more Intelligible. 

But there is this great difference between the 
contests for the Davis Cup ^ and the America Cup. 
Many valiant efforts have been made by this country 
to gain the blue riband of yachting. These have not 
yet been crowned with success ; the theatre of war 
still remains American waters. For three years the 
lawn tennis players In the States victoriously defended 

^For historical data respecting the inception of the International 
Competition, see Appendix. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1900-1903 241 

the Davis Cup against the attack of the invader — 
not always a well-balanced attack, let me add. But 
in 1903 the superior skill, greater consistency and 
wonderful tenacity of the British team prevailed — the 
trophy was exported for the first time to British soil. 
Three more years, and though the field widened and 
challengers came from the Continent and even from 
distant Colonies, the custody of that cup was safe- 
guarded. The Dohertys had captured it ; they were 
its trusty defenders. But in 1907, a bad year for 
England's sporting prestige and one in which neither 
the Dohertys nor S. H. Smith and Frank Riseley 
were available for home service, the Davis Cup 
exhibited further globe-trotting tendencies, and as the 
result of a brilliant campaign by Norman Brookes 
the Australian and Anthony Wilding the New 
Zealander, set off on a long journey to the uttermost 
ends of the earth. Happily its destination was a 
Commonwealth linked to us by Imperial ties. The 
Davis Cup is still a family possession, despatched 
across the seas as tangible proof of our sons' prowess. 
That it will come back sooner or later to the Mother- 
land, untarnished by its sojourn abroad, we may con- 
fidently predict. 

There can be little question that the first British 
team that went over in 1900 to challenge for the 
Davis Cup suffered from several disadvantages. For 
one thing, it lacked the administrative assistance and 
paternal influence of a non-playing manager. It was 
new to the climatic conditions of America ; the tour 
was strictly limited, and its members had no time to 
feel their feet on American soil. The conditions of 
play were likewise novel and in some measure primitive. 
16 



242 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

Perhaps our team had underestimated the strength 
and skill of their opponents. Certainly they were 
repulsed in a manner which suggested, even if it did 
not proclaim, their inferiority, while the confidence of 
the British authorities seemed scarcely justified. But 
let me interpolate here the interesting and untoned 
impression of this, the pioneer tour of an ofl[icial British 
team, kindly supplied for this volume by Mr. H. 
Roper Barrett, one of its three members : 

''After many disappointments^ the team that 
actually set sail was Arthur Went worth Gore, Ernest 
D. Black and Herbert Roper Barrett — poetically 
referred to in the official organ as ' The Dauntless 
Three.' The Campania landed us at New York on 
a Saturday morning. Here we were met and 
welcomed by Mr. Stevens' (he was an American 
player of those days) man. We appreciated Mr. 
Stevens' kindness in sending down his man ; it 
seemed so friendly and kind and much better than 
coming himself. Having had no particular facilities 
offered us for practice, it was unanimously decided, 
Gore being in the chair, that we should forthwith 
visit Niagara. Accordingly on the same night we 
took train and went right through to Buffalo, where 
we saw the wonderful Falls, crossed over to Canada 
and subsequently went beneath them. The Falls 
* beggar description ' ; it is impossible to describe 
their grandeur and power and, as you know, I am 
no poet. Let that go. We saw many hundred 
thousand tons of water rushing over the Fall each 
minute and throwing up spray three or four hundred 

^The Dohertys and several other leading players were unable to 
accept the invitation of the L.T.A. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1900-1903 243 

feet above the level of the land, the sun meantime 
forming beautiful rainbows. Well, having inspected 
this bewildering sight and the awful whirlpool where 
Captain Webb tempted Providence once too often, 
we journeyed back to Boston. Here we were heartily 
welcomed by Palmer Presbrey, M. D. Whitman, Leo 
Ware, James Dwight, Leyman, A. Codman and many 
others famous in the lawn tennis world of America. 
Palmer Presbrey looked after us right royally, made 
us members of all the leading clubs and had us put 
up at the University Club. I should like to express 
our special appreciation of the unremitting attention 
we received from Palmer Presbrey and James Dwight, 
and particularly to mention the farewell dinner they 
gave us at the Somerset Club on leaving Boston, 
with Mr. Leyman in the chair. 

'*Now as to conditions of play at Longwood, the 
venue of the international matches. The ground 
was abominable. The grass was long. Picture to 
yourself a court in England where the grass has 
been the longest you ever encountered ; double the 
length of that grass and you have the courts as they 
were at Longwood at that time. The net was a 
disgrace to civilised lawn tennis, held up by guy 
ropes which were continually sagging, giving way as 
much as 2 or 3 inches every few games and fre- 
quently requiring adjustment. As for the balls, I 
hardly like to mention them. They were awful — 
soft and mot kery- loo king — and when served with 
the American twist came at you like an animated 
egg-plum. I do not exaggerate. Neither Beals 
Wright nor Holcombe Ward nor Karl Behr can 
make the balls used at Wimbledon break as much as 



244 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

these did. They not only swerved in the air, but 
in hitting the ground broke surely four to five 
feet. Our team was altogether taken at a dis- 
advantage. We had never experienced this service 
before and it quite nonplussed us. The spectators 
were most impartial and the female portion 
thereof not at all unpleasant to gaze upon." (This 
last sentence may explain something.) Mr. Barrett 
proceeds : 

*' M. D. Whitman, Dwight Davis and Hol- 
combe Ward were a fine team, certainly the best 
America ever had. Taking into consideration 
the adverse conditions under which we played 
(the thermometer was 136° Fahr. in the sun — a. 
dry heat) I do not think we did so badly. -^ The 
umpires (who sat on chairs perched on tables) 
and the linesmen discharged their duties most 
satisfactorily. Indeed, we had nothing to com- 
plain about in regard to American sportsmanship 
and hospitality. 

" Personally I had to catch the Campania back 
to Liverpool on the next Saturday. I was only 
in America a week, and I often laugh to myself 
over the fact that I journeyed some 6800 miles to 
play thirty games.^ Still I do not grumble. There 
was no one else to represent England and I felt I 
had to go despite the inconvenience and personal 
expense to which we were put. 

''Whitman, let me conclude, was one of the finest 

^ America won by 3 matches to nil, 10 sets to one (won by Black 
against Davis) and 76 games to 50. Rain interrupted the last day's 
play which was never completed. 

2 Davis and Ward beat Black and Barrett 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1900-1903 245 

single players I ever saw, but I think Gore was a 
match for Davis. "^ 

Mr. Barrett's outspoken criticisms of the playing 
conditions at Longwood are doubtless justified ; these 
must have seriously militated against the chances of 
the British team which had been familiar to up-to- 
.date English accessories. But I do not think that 
even on perfect courts with perfect nets and in a 
more normal temperature the Englishmen would have 
triumphed. Nor do I gather that Mr. Barrett holds 
any other opinion. The American writer^ who said 
that ** it will always remain a mystery why the 
English players should not have had some inkling 
of what they had to expect " was not referring to the 
conditions, though he might have been, but to the 
American service. '' The Englishmen," this chronicler 
goes on, '' were taken on the flank and utterly routed. 
To those across the water it was some consolation 
to know the three players who represented Great 
Britain, good as they were, were not the three best 
men possible to send over." Possibly they may not 
have been, but that reflection does not absolve the 
L.T.A. from a charge of over-confidence or relieve 
them from a share in the defeat. The truth is, 
probably, that estimations of American form were 
based on the results of an unofficial tour made by 
Dr. Eaves, H. A. Nisbet and H. S. Mahony through 
the States in 1897. At Newport Nisbet beat both 
Whitman and Earned, while Dr. Eaves, defeating 
Nisbet in the final, came within a few points of 

^ A thunderstorm stopped the tie between Gore and Davis. Davis 
Won the first set 9-7 ; the second was drawn at 9-9. 
2 F. S. Mansfield in the Boston Globe^ August 4, 1902. 



246 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

winning the American championship. But in the 
intervening three years American players had made 
great strides. Apart from their service, which they 
developed with much enterprise and conspicuous suc- 
cess, the players in the States were adding new strokes 
to their repertoire each season. Commenting on their 
progress, the late H. S. Mahony observed about this 
time : '* The Americans dart in and kill many a volley 
which an English player would either let drop, half- 
volley or volley very weakly. Of their ground-play, 
especially on the forehand, there is nothing to be said 
but praise, and those who saw Larned's beautiful 
ground-strokes in this country will thoroughly endorse 
this opinion." 

In 1 90 1, anxious to re-establish the supremacy 
which it was felt the result of the first conflict had 
impaired, the English Association challenged again 
and visions of an early revenge began to float before 
the eyes of English players. But this dream had 
to be postponed. No team whose chances of success 
might have been considered superior to those of the 
1900 combination could be raised, and it was wisely 
decided to wait another year. Obviously the desire 
of the Association was to pit the Invincible skill of 
the Doherty brothers against the American holders ; 
it was therefore necessary to await the convenience 
of the champions. The wisdom of this course was 
proved by the remarkable success which attended 
the visit to Wimbledon of the American doubles 
champions, Holcombe Ward and Dwight Davis, in 
the summer of 1901. Not until this redoubtable 
pair served, smashed and lobbed their way through 
to the challenge round did the average Englishman 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1900-1903 247 

appreciate the real potency of their game, nor give 
Black, Gore and Barrett their righteous due. Even 
in the challenge round itself, when only the potential 
resistance of the Dohertys divided the invaders from 
the championship, the extraordinary powers of Ward 
and Davis and the efficacy of American methods 
were so far demonstrated that had not rain cut the 
match short on the first day the visitors might have 
triumphed. As it was, the Dohertys were tested 
to the utmost to save their titles on the following 
day.^ A team more aggressive and synergetic had 
never been seen in the centre court of Wimbledon. 

It is no exaggeration to say that when R. F. and 
H. L. Doherty, Dr. Joshua Pim and *' Captain" 
W. H. Collins were selected to take up the second 
challenge for the Davis Cup, every player in this 
country proudly pictured the trophy coming back 
with the team. This confidence was justified ; why 
it was not fulfilled we shall presently discover. 

When one considers that the British travellers 
were going to exhibit their prowess before the 
assembled gaze of 10,000 spectators in New York, it 
is remarkable — indeed an indication of newspaper 
apathy in regard to lawn tennis at that time — that 
the party should have slipped out of England un- 
attended by even the faintest trumpeting in the daily 
press. It is true one paper sent its representative to 
Euston to interview the champions, but the result 
when published was so obviously lacking in illumina- 
tion as to be practically worthless — it seems to have 

^ When rain stopped play on the first day both sides had won a 
set and were "games all" in the third. The match was entirely 
replayed on the morrow, when the Dohertys won. 



248 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

provoked great hilarity on the other side. Perhaps 
there was some desire on the part of the tourists 
themselves to "lie low," for the medical member of 
the team (who sailed a week later) was mysteriously- 
referred to as "Mr. X" and "A Famous Player" 
and seems indeed to have left these shores rather in 
the character of a stowaway than as a champion 
whose name was a household word on every tennis 
lawn. Doubtless there were sound professional 
reasons for this secrecy, but it must be recorded that 
the voracious journalists on the other side scarcely 
tasted " Mr. X " while greedily swallowing Dr. Pim. 

With a view to winning the Eastern Doubles and 
thus gaining a passport to Newport,-^ the team went 
through at once to Boston and after enjoying a trip 
to Nahant on Mr. Charles Hayden's yacht im- 
mediately began operations on the Longwood courts. 
The British players seemed to have impressed 
themselves most favourably on the spectators. The 
Dohertys' appearance in court was described as 
" very pleasing."^ "Wearing the light blue colours 
of Cambridge University and attired in white clothes 
they contrasted favourably with the grotesque and 
dishevelled appearance of some of the American 
players." As the brothers' only object in competing 
at Longwood (apart from their desire to win the 
Eastern Doubles which they fulfilled) was to gain 
practice in singles, " H. L." retired after winning 
three rounds comfortably, " R. F." a little earlier. 

^ The winners of the Eastern and Western Doubles meet at 
Newport to decide which shall challenge the holders of the Doubles 
Championship. In 1907 the Southern champions were also admitted to 
this final eliminating contest. 

2 Boston Globe ^ August 4, 1902. 




r 1 ^ 



O 

Q 



I i 



a 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1900-1903 249 

Had they not done so, as Mr. Collins points out,^ 
**they might, one or the other of them, have had to 
play two hard matches on both Friday and Saturday, 
or have been compelled to retire in the final round of 
the singles. **What the press will have to say to- 
morrow," wrote the English captain in his diary, ** is 
none of our business." As a matter of fact the press 
only wrote nice things. '* The decision to withdraw," 
said one of the leading dailies,^ " can in no wise be criti- 
cised. The Dohertys availed themselves of an oppor- 
tunity to become accustomed to the American style 
of playing and to acquire a familiarity with American 
turf and balls. Nobody should question the propriety 
of their withdrawing if it seems policy to do so." 

It is interesting to note, in view of the criticisms 
levelled against the Longwood courts by the first 
British team, that Mr. Collins stated at a complimen- 
tary dinner ^ before leaving Boston that he considered 
the differences in conditions of play in America and 
England so slight ** that any player could get accus- 
tomed to them with two days' practice " ; while the 
Dohertys themselves admitted* that the ''American 
conditions, except for the great heat, are quite up to 
ours ; and we could not wish to have better courts 
than those at Brookline near Boston." Doubtless 
there had been great improvement in the two years. 

There can be little question that when the 
Dohertys, now joined by Dr. Pim, arrived at Bay 
Ridge to contest the international matches, they were 
fairly confident of winning the Davis Cup at the first 

^ Report to the L.T.A. ^ Boston Globe^ July 30, 1902. 

^ Held at the County Club, Brookline, August 2, 1902. 
* R. F. and H. L. Doherty on Lawn Tennis. 



2 50 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

time of asking. Their achievements at Longwood, 
slight as they were, included victories over both 
Larned and Ware and the brothers Wrenn in the 
doubles, each with the loss of only one set. It is 
true neither had yet met Whitman in a single, but 
both had met and defeated players who employed 
Whitman's service and most of his methods. As to 
W^ard and Davis, the Dohertys had vanquished them 
at Wimbledon a year ago. Among Americans, how- 
ever, there was a feeling of quiet confidence. ''The 
visitors," we are told,^ '* decline to express any opinion 
on the outcome, but seem to be very confident under 
the surface. Their experience in Longwood helped 
this feeling immensely. Captain Collins declared 
yesterday that every condition was satisfactory to him- 
self and his men. He had tested the American balls 
and found them very similar to the English and appar- 
ently quite as good. The turf suited him and he said 
all three of his men were in excellent condition." 

Now we come to a question of policy on the part 
of the British captain that subsequently evoked much 
comment on both sides of the Atlantic. Mr. Collins 
nominated R. F. Doherty and Dr. Pim for the four 
singles and the brothers Doherty for the one doubles 
tie. " People are constantly asking me," said Mr. 
Collins subsequently,^ ''why the 'doctor' was chosen 
instead of H. L. Doherty. They don't seem to 
realise that the Americans had fresh men for the 
doubles and that sometimes in America it is hot. If 
H. L. Doherty had played on the Wednesday and 
Thursday in the singles, and the weather had not 

^ New York Suriy August 5, 1902. 

^ Interview in Lawn Tennis^ September 10, 1902. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1900-1903 251 

been as it was, propitious, he might have been a rag 
on the Friday. Apart from that, the ' Doctor ' was 
playing extremely well in practice against the 
Dohertys and we saw no reason before the match that 
he would not show the Americans some of his old 
quality. He was never in better training in his life, 
I should say. I don't even think he was over- 
trained, although he had taken off more than two 
stone in six weeks." I give this explanation in justice 
to Mr. Collins who has proved himself an efficient 
and generally a far-sighted captain ; but I am bound 
to add that the net result-^ of the international 
matches at Bay Ridge makes it now clear that the 
British captain would have been better advised had 
he left the brunt of the attack entirely in the hands 
of the Dohertys, as he did in 1903. The chances, it 
seems to me, were two to one in favour of '* H. L." 
playing. There were four singles and only one 
double. Pim's responsibility was therefore just 
double as much as the younger Dohertys and his 
pre-eminent standard twice as important. Only a 
month previously '' H. L." had become champion of 
England, and he had won the championship of 
Ireland the same year. Pim had been champion 
eight years previously ; for some years he had been 
out of the tournament arena. Even the American 
journals expressed surprise at the selection. A 
shrewd judge ^ of the game wrote: "Had the 
challenging side eliminated Dr. Pim and played only 
the brothers Doherty, it is easily conceivable they 

^ America won three of the four singles, Pim only winning one set 
in the seven he contested. 

^ Herbert Henshaw in Brooklyn Life^ August 16, 1902. 



252 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

might have won two of the four single matches as 
well as the doubles. Certainly Dr. Pirn must be 
omitted from any critical analysis. He was simply a 
first-class man badly out of practice and the only 
cause for wonder is that, after his long retirement and 
without adequate preparation he should have been 
chosen to represent the English Association in such a 
contest. Seemingly the only rational explanation 
would be that Dr. Pim in any form was thought to 
be a better third choice than any English player now 
in active competition, which would tend to confirm 
the oft-repeated assertion of English critics that 
the British game has retrograded." This excerpt 
suggests that Dr. Pim, though outplayed, was not 
outclassed. Seven years earlier when on tour in the 
States, it may be noted, he was regarded as half- 
fifteen better than any American player. Mr. Collins, 
perhaps, had much to justify his action. 

The matches themselves created immense interest. 
Over 5000 people watched the play on the first day, 
over 6000 on the second and the doubles tie, when 
the Dohertys beat Ward and Davis,^ actually attracted 
a crowd of 10,000 — the largest assembly that ever 
watched a lawn tennis match. The conditions were 
perfect.^ R. F. Doherty was decidedly unlucky in 
having to finish his tie with Earned, postponed over- 
night on account of rain, in the morning and play 
Whitman the same afternoon. Though this arrange- 
ment was unanimously agreed upon,^ '* R. F." was 
perhaps justified in subsequently remarking to me, 
"Whitman was fresh and I was not. I beat him 

^ The score was 3-6, 10-8, 6-3, 6-4. 
^ Mr. Collins in his official report. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1900-1903 253 

at Newport afterwards in the final of the American 
championship. It is a fair assumption I should have 
beaten him at Bay Ridge if I had not had the 
mornings strain and excitement." As for the tactics 
pursued in this match we are told^ that *' R. F." 
continued to battle for the net in the American 
fashion and though beaten in three straight sets 
made a much better stand than was at first antici- 
pated. *' It is certain that R. F. Doherty owed his 
success against Larned to his recognition of the 
futility of English tactics, and it is at least safe to 
say that he will be stronger in the singles game 
when he leaves this country." It was in the doubles 
that the brothers convincingly demonstrated their 
superlative skill. This was probably the most re- 
markable doubles contest ever seen. Davis and 
Ward, the most spectacular team in lawn tennis 
annals, after playing in invincible style for nearly 
two sets, were gradually worn down and beaten 
out by the most heartbreaking precision and certainty 
of return. The crowds filed out from the beautiful 
grounds of the Crescent Athletic Club still under 
the spell of the great tennis they had witnessed and 
tried simultaneously to climb on one lone car of the 
Fort Hamilton line which had been thoughtfully 
provided by the trolley authorities to carry 6000 
people back to town.^ Dwight Davis, the donor of 
the cup, appears to have been the pivot upon which 
the whole match turned ; he it was who nearly won 
victory and who finally earned defeat. A whirlwind 
at first, his terrific smashing and twist service almost 
demoralised the Englishman. He held himself in 

^ Mr. Herbert Henshaw. * Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 



2 54 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

check a good deal in handling deep lots and did not 
sacrifice points in attempting to kill those balls which 
other men volley with less speed ; but towards the 
finish he missed many sharp volleys and low shots — 
his "kills" missed fire. Ward was a marvel of 
steadiness, but he was evidently less feared on the 
other side of the net than his partner, for even when 
Davis was palpably tiring In the second set the 
Dohertys lobbed more to Ward than to Davis. 
''Ward worked like a beaver to stem the tide."^ 
" H. L. " seems to have handled the Americans' 
screw service with less embarrassment than " R. F.," 
and during the rallies was the "wheel-horse doing 
the lion's share of the work." He was very certain 
in all his strokes, but his return of the service was 
his best point. " R. F. " made nearly all of the 
killing strokes and also more errors. There seems 
to be little doubt that In gaining this memorable 
victory the Dohertys used more . of the American 
style of play than any foreign team that had pre- 
viously crossed the Atlantic. 

I have only space for a brief mention of the 
Dohertys' subsequent visit to Newport, the venue of 
the American championships. Fortified by what had 
happened at Bay Ridge, Americans were fairly con- 
fident of retaining the singles title which Dr. Eaves 
had so nearly captured five years earlier ; but to 
strengthen assurance M. D. Whitman, the idol of 
home players, was induced to re-enter the champion- 
ship arena, ^ and safeguard the honour of the States. 

^ New York Sun. 

2 Whitman resigned the championship in 1900 having won it for 
three successive years. He had since practically retired from the game. 




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THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1900-1903 255 

The doubles were considered to be visibly moving 
towards England. As it happened, American antici- 
pations were realised, but it was not ** invincible" 
Whitman who proved to be the saviour of his 
country. Of the eighty-three competitions in the 
singles, R. F. Doherty and Whitman duly reached 
the final.^ The Englishman, playing magnificent 
tennis, defeated the pride of America with com- 
parative ease. When R. F. faced Earned, the 
holder, in the challenge round the heat — to quote a 
remark subsequently made to me by Doherty — was 
so intense ''that the linen collars of the spectators 
were reduced to pulp." The Englishman struggled 
bravely but ineffectually, and the more acclimatised 
holder triumphed with the loss of one set in four.^ 
Thus the results at Bay Ridge were exactly reversed. 
There ** R. F. " beat Earned and fell to Whitman ; 
at Newport it was the other way round. In the 
doubles the brothers again achieved a notable victory, 
and by defeating Ward and Davis in the challenge 
round not only proclaimed their superiority in the 
four-handed game but exported the title to England 
for the first time in its history.^ 

That England would challenge again next year 
for the Cup was certain, while another safe assumption 
was that H. L. Doherty, unbeaten in any match in 
America, would support his brother exclusively in 
both singles and doubles. With the doubles almost 

^ Dr. Pirn was beaten in the fourth round by L. E. Ware on the day 
of his departure. " H. L. " scratched to his brother in the semi-final. 

^ Americans admit that the EngHsh challenger was handicapped 
by the heat. 

^ The Dohertys won 11-9, 12-10, 6-4. They lost only one service 
each ; Ward lost two, Davis three. 



256 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

a victory in hand, it would go hard with England if 
the brothers could not each win a singles tie and thus 
secure the rubber. That this anticipation was not 
only realised but that the Dohertys made a clean 
sweep of all the American honours, international 
and national, history now bears witness. In fact, the 
brothers' tour of 1903 was a triumphant progress 
from beginning to end. Their coup dessai the 
previous year may have failed ; their coup de grace 
lacked neither conclusiveness nor dramatic effect. 
Whitman, now finally retired, did not play for 
America, nor were Davis and Ward available for 
the doubles ; but Larned, the hero of Newport, 
was in the defending team, as sound and forceful 
as ever, while the Wrenn brothers, one of whom 
took Whitman's place in the singles, were justly 
considered to be quite as powerful a combination 
as the thrice-crowned doubles champions, in fact 
more "heady" and more reliable. But the English- 
men, familiar now with American conditions, undis- 
mayed by the American service and with their tactical 
campaign carefully planned and as carefully rehearsed, 
were masters of the situation. Both at Longwood 
(the scene of the 1900 international matches when 
England was outclassed) and at Newport, where 
'' H. L." gained the laurel wreath which *' R. F." had 
so nearly worn the year before, the brothers proved 
themselves to be the greatest and most natural ex- 
ponents of the game the world had ever seen. Surely 
the American achievements of the Dohertys in 1903 
must stand out as the brightest feature of their dazzling 
career. Whenever I hear this or that admirer urging 
the superior claims of another player, either of the 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1900-1903 257 

past or the present generation, I Invariably recite to 
the doubtlnor Thomas the record of this marvellous 
tour. Not a record, mark you, of figures alone — 
indeed some of the victories were more dearly bought 
than those of the previous year — but a record of cour- 
ageous zeal, of difficulties surmounted, of unemotional 
confidence, and of absolute indifference to the state of 
the weather and the size and temper of the crowd. 

On this victorious trip the Dohertys were again 
accompanied by Mr. W. H. Collins as captain. I 
see that In some of the American newspapers — which, 
by the way, gave remarkable prominence to these 
matches — Mr. Collins is described as *' trainer." 
Though Its English meaning rather suggests a 
man waiting in the pavilion with a rough towel, 
the title is not misplaced : Mr. Collins did train his 
team, physically, morally and mentally. He studied 
their every comfort, arranged every travelling detail, 
kept a watchful eye over their meals and despatched 
them early to bed. I'm not sure he didn't act as 
chaperon at the many social functions which the 
brothers attended. This genial amateur *' trainer" 
had more than one unexpected situation to face. 
Two days before the first International ties began, 
R. F. Doherty complained of pain In his playing 
arm. To quote Mr. Collins:^ "He said that he 
felt something go wrong in his doubles match the 
day before,^ but as a similar feeling had previously 
occurred, he did not think anything of It at the time. 
He made no further mention of It until Monday morn- 
ing when he said that his arm was troubling him 

1 Official Report to L.T.A. 

2 At an invitation tournament at Nahant, partnered by H. S. Mahony. 

17 



258 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

again. I immediately telephoned for Dr. F. H. 
Whipple, who had helped us out of our former 
troubles, and he arrived at 9 a.m. He could not 
find any trace of serious trouble, but gave instructions 
as to treatment and returned at 2.30 p.m. and treated 
the sprain for three-quarters of an hour. Later in the 
afternoon the Dohertys had a knock-up and " R. F." 
found pain in playing his backhand or forehand, 
if the stroke necessitated a long reach. Overhead 
there was no pain to speak of. Dr. Whipple saw him 
again at 7 p.m. and thought that the practice had 
done him no harm. He came again at 10.20 p.m. 
and fixed up the arm for the night." With such 
tender care are international tennis champions treated. 
On the next morning the doctor gave his decision and 
it was against '' R. F." and England. There would 
be great risk in playing that day ; in fact if he did 
play he might be hors de combat for several weeks. 
On the other hand, if he rested his arm for twenty- 
four hours he might possibly be fit on the morrow, 
and there was *'a very fair chance" of his being able 
to play on Thursday. The medical certificate stated 
that "■ R. F." was suffering from a strain of the deltoid 
muscle of the right shoulder and probably of capsular 
ligament. Now came Mr. Collins' problem. H. S. 
Mahony had come over with the Dohertys as reserve 
man, it being distinctly understood that he only played 
in the event of either of the brothers being incapacitated. 
That contingency had arisen, but the English captain 
was naturally reluctant to risk the chances of the whole 
team and tour by substituting the Irishman. Could 
Mahony play in one single and not in the other ? Mr. 
Collins thought he could, basing his contention on 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1900-1903 259 

Regulation 1 1 ^ which allowed one player to be sub- 
stituted for another in case of illness, provided the 
captain of the opposing side consented. W. A. 
Larned was accordingly consulted, but the American 
captain, while expressing sincere sympathy with the 
English team, decided according to Regulation 8 ^ 
that if Mahony played in the first round of the singles 
he must also play in the second. He would agree to 
this substitution, but he would not consent to three 
men playing in the singles. Accordingly Mr. Collins 
had to decide whether he should play Mahony in both 
singles and run the risk of losing them both or whether 
he should concede America a '' walk-over " in the first 
round and pray that '* R. F." might be well enough to 
contest, and win, the second. Then there were the 
doubles ; but here the Americans did not object to 
the substitution of Mahony for *' R. F." as a partner 
for '' H. L." Mr. Collins took the bolder course. He 
scratched the man with the injured arm and presented 
America with a match — as it happened the only 
one ^ they "won." Possibly the English captain re- 
membered Dr. Pim, or possibly he had unqualified 
confidence in the administrations of Dr. Whipple. 
Providence evidently heard the prayer of Mr. Collins 
for on the next two days it rained so hard that no 
play was possible. On the Friday the patient not 
only went into court and defeated the Wrenns in 
partnership with his brother,^ but experienced no ill 
effects after the match. England was now one up 
with two to play. Prospects of victory looked very rosy. 

1 Since amended, see Appendix. 

2 H. L. Doherty beat R. D. Wrenn in three straight sets. 

3 The score was 7-5, 9-7, 2-6, 6-3. 



26o THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

*' The chances are against us," said one Boston daily,^ 
*' and most of the wiseacres say the cup is already lost." 

The Davis Cup was lifted on that day but only 
by an almost superhuman effort on the part of the 
Englishmen. '' The outcome of it all hung balanced," 
says one eye-witness, ** until almost the very end of 
play. First it wavered one way, then another, and 
at times was exactly even,^ until not only the players 
but the gallery^ itself was worn to a frayed and 
jagged edge. It all went to make the severest kind 
of test and that the British players stood it so well 
adds no little to their glory. The putting on of two 
such matches, side by side, at the same time was the 
refinement of cruelty to tennis lovers and to the 
players must have been nerve-racking." Mr. Collins 
also refers to this contiguity: ''There was nothing 
between the two courts but the umpire s ladder, and 
it was very disconcerting to players in the middle of 
a rest, when perhaps they were trying to time a well- 
placed lob, to hear roars of applause fired across their 
court at the neighbouring match. They had not only 
the anxiety of their own match on their shoulders, but 
could not help following the state of affairs in the other." 

Of these two historic matches '* R. F.'s" engage- 
ment with Wrenn was the most spectacular and 
exciting, while the meeting of the Anglo-American 
champions produced the better tennis. " Never," 
says one intelligent onlooker, ''had such enthusiasm 
and patriotic demonstration been seen in an American 

^ Boston Daily Advertiser^ August 8, 1903. 

2 At one and the same time, when England wanted but one match 
to win, Larned and " H. L." were " two sets all, four all," with Larned 
40-15 ; while in the next court " R. F." and Wrenn were exactly level 
in the fifth set ! ^ Over 5000 were present. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1900-1903 261 

athletic arena. Strokes were so marvellous that hats 
were not infrequently tossed in the air and hundreds 
stood up and wildly cheered." It is greatly to the 
credit of Americans that they could be so thoroughly 
impartial. No discordant note or lack of taste 
marred the occasion, and when Larned was at last 
beaten and the Davis Cup had been secured by the 
visitors a most extraordinary ovation was given 
H. L. Doherty as he slowly walked to the clubhouse. 
Although the other match was going on, four 
thousand persons rose as one man and gave this 
stranger in a strange land a reception such as no 
foreign athlete has ever received in America. "It 
was a spontaneous recognition," said one writer,^ 
**of the great proficiency, pluck and sportsmanship 
that has endeared this modest and unassuming 
British player to all lovers of clean sport." 

*' H. L.'s" volleying and his accurate placing 
appear to have been a revelation to all. In covering 
the court the British champion was stealthy as a cat 
and seemed to have a wonderful faculty of anticipating 
Larned's every move. He was seldom taken by 
surprise and played throughout with machine-like 
precision. At the end he was in perfect condition, 
showing no effect of the great strain which he had 
borne for more than two hours and a half. ** R. F." 
on the other hand, was visibly out of condition at 
the close ; it was only by a supreme effort he 
managed to gain the necessary points in the last game. 
So the symbol of international supremacy came 
to England, borne on the shoulders of these inimitable 
brothers. 

1 Bostoji Sunday Globe^ August 9, 1903. 



CHAPTER XVII 

THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP 

(1904-1907) 

Four years' residence of the trophy In England — The coming of the 
Continental expert — Belgium beaten but not disgraced at Wimbledon — 
Norman Brookes mentioned as a " dark horse " — America mobilises an 
invading team — Beals Wright defeats Brookes at Queen's — The 
Australian uses an abnormally loose racket — America fiercely attacks 
the holders at Wimbledon but is repulsed by Smith and the Dohertys — 
American training methods — Holcombe Ward's electrical display 
against H. L. Doherty — A wholesome dread of S. H. Smith — A fatal 
blunder at the net — The United States advance again — Grievous 
accident to Beals Wright — American ladies braced in spirit at Newport 
— The Wildings are faced with a problem — England again wins the 
challenge round — Dohertys have a narrow escape in the doubles — A 
lean year at hand — H. L. Doherty's retirement and its consequences — 
"Touch-and-go" character of the 1907 matches — Karl Behr's brilliant 
but erratic attack — Brookes more vulnerable in doubles — The 
Australian's magnificent record in the singles — The cup goes to the 
Colonies 

IN the last chapter I dealt with the British 
campaign waged on American soil in quest of 
the Dwight Davis trophy — a campaign that, 
after two unsuccessful assaults, culminated in the 
capture of the international championship. In this 
chapter I propose to review the principal events 
associated with the four years' residence of the Cup 
in this country, its prosperous defence for three of 

these years and its annexation on the fourth and last 

262 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 263 

occasion by the envoys from the Colonies — its second 
quadrennial movement. 

Though the competition lists had been open to 
all nations from the first, it was not until the theatre 
of war shifted to England that other countries threw 
down the gauntlet. But for some years the leading 
players in France and Belgium had been girding up 
their loins with this object in view, and the strenuous 
battles which they fought with representative English 
exponents in their own arenas, more especially on 
the hard courts at Brussels and Ostend and on the 
wood floor at Auteuil, inspired them with increasing 
confidence. Nevertheless the French and Belgian 
teams which came to Wimbledon in 1904 to par- 
ticipate in the preliminary ties, though heartily 
welcomed, were scarcely considered serious rivals to 
the English holders and in the absence of American 
challengers,^ the custody of the Davis Cup at any rate 
for another year was considered safe. Apart from 
the fact that the Continental visitors suffered from 
the initial disadvantage of playing on an unfamiliar 
grass surface — for there are no grass courts across 
the Channel — their experience of foreign matches 
was limited to a rare excursion over their own 
borders, while their engagements with English 
players, even on their own courts and amid their own 
friends, had been confined to occasional tussles with 
men not always of the first rank. In these matches 
they had displayed considerable dash and had 
employed distinctive methods that certainly embar- 
rassed, if they did not outwit, the tourists from the 

^ The U.S.N.L.T.A. decided to wait another year before making 
an attempt to regain the cup. 



264 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

game's birthplace. But there was sometimes too 
plainly visible in these young foreign zealots a 
temperamental trait that occasioned weakness at 
critical moments and that provoked vicissitudes of 
form more potent and less under control than those 
which affected English competitors. This inability 
to maintain a high standard over five long sets was 
likely to become less as time went on — indeed, recent 
proof of its gradual disappearance has been forth- 
coming ; and it was a tolerably safe assumption that 
the Continental experts who came over in 1904 
would show a marked improvement subsequently. 

Belgium's narrow defeat of France in the pre- 
liminary round was a surprise. It is true the 
Netherlands were represented by two players, Paul 
de Borman and Willie Lemaire, who had a justly 
merited reputation on the Continent ; but France 
had Max Decugis and P. Aym6, the first at least 
considered capable of winning both his singles ties. 
Decugis was not then as formidable as he is now ; 
he had not brought his service and his forehand 
cross-drive to that state of perfection which brooks 
little comparison and which won him the London 
Covered Court Championship in 1907. Nor had 
he yet schooled his mercurial temperament. But 
he was then, as now, a great player, free, natural 
and versatile, and his defeat by Lemaire after a 
protracted five-set contest came as a surprise and 
practically decided the issue against France.^ 
Lemaire deserves great credit for this victory and 
for his crushing defeat of Ayme, the more so because 

^ Belgium beat France by 3 matches to 2. France won the doubles 
3 sets to 2, and Decugis beat de Borman 6-4, 5-3, retired. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 265 

he is psychologically a bad match-player and might 
have been expected to collapse under the strange con- 
ditions. Lemaire is the owner of a most prepossessing 
backhand drive which, keeping the ball at a low 
trajectory, was not calculated to cheer the heart of 
the Frenchman, seeking for a high bound to punish. 
To those who had not seen him previously perform, 
de Bormans style attracted much interest and his 
peculiar forehand drive, the ball being taken at the 
top of the bound with a straight arm and breaking 
treacherously on the other side of the net, was the 
subject of general comment. On a hard court 
this stroke is a veritable terror and I have a vivid 
recollection of encountering it for the first time at 
Homburg the year before this international ; of vainly 
striking at something which I took to be the ball, 
but which nearly always proved to be the buoyant 
atmosphere of the Taunus region. On grass the 
** kick " is less dangerous, for the pace being slower 
there is more time to gauge its movements ; but 
that it was a useful weapon at Wimbledon was 
proved by the fact that de B or man scored the first 
set against Frank Riseley in the challenge round 
and made a bold fight for the last two. Parenthetic- 
ally let me add that this broad-limbed Belgian is 
one of the cheeriest Davis Cup competitors we have 
welcomed. I shall always remember the genial and 
somewhat naive speech he delivered at a Caf6 Royal 
banquet. It was the utterance of a large-minded, 
modest sportsman ; for de Borman is adept at other 
things besides lawn tennis. 

The challenge round in 1904 ended, as it was 
expected to end, in a conclusive victory for the 



266 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

holders. Save for the match in which Riseley 
forfeited a set to de Borman, England won all her 
ties in three straight sets. " H. L.," then the holder 
of both the English and American championships, 
lost but six games in his match with de Borman, 
demonstrating once more his supreme capacity for 
adapting his attack to meet new methods and his 
indifference to the breakaway service. The doubles 
was practically a farce, the two Dohertys, unruffled, 
their armour unsoiled, won as they chose. 

The first invaders were thus repulsed with heavy 
casualties. But before the sound of the firing had 
quite died away, it was unofficially announced, not 
only that America would ''come after her own" 
next year, but that Australasia would enter the 
arena. This was good news. Under the regula- 
tions governing the competition, Australia and New 
Zealand were united as one nation. Ready at hand 
in this country, just finishing an academic course 
at Cambridge University, was a young player, a 
native of Christchurch, New Zealand, whose rapidly- 
maturing skill had already won him fame and whose 
strenuous personality was soon destined to make 
itself known at almost every tournament in this 
country and on the Continent. In 1905 Anthony 
Wilding had not acquired such an ace - winning 
backhand as he has to-day, nor was he so good a 
general ; but he owned a forceful top-charged drive 
executed from a high bound and a variety of twist 
services which had not then had a chance to become 
"stale." Clearly he was an asset to Australasia 
and being on the spot and familiar with English 
methods of attack was instantly voted a place in 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 267 

the team. Writing to me about this time Wilding 
had said : '* I hear I have been nominated for 
Australasia. That ought to mean a go against the 
Yankees In the final round, and possibly a contest 
with England. Who my colleagues will be I do 
not know, but I hear Brookes and Dunlop are 
coming and that Brookes Is a dark horse. The 
news is rather vague and my instructions also." 
The great majority of English players had heard 
nothing of Norman Brookes at that time. To them 
he was not even a name, so distant was the scene 
of his Victorian triumphs from the headquarters of 
the game. A few, taking their cue from Dr. Eaves 
who had paid several visits to the land of his birth 
since settling in England, displayed more Interest 
and even some concern, but these were inclined to 
reserve their opinion until the mysterious left-hander 
had arrived and had given a proof of his capacity. 
Of A. W. Dunlop more was known, for he had 
won the Victorian championship as far back as 
1899 and was regarded by the cognoscenti as a 
sound and pertinacious player, just the man in fact 
for strenuous international work. 

Meanwhile America was mobilising her henchmen 
with due ceremony and no little confidence. Cousin 
Jonathan had his eyes fixed securely on the cup and 
he spared neither time nor trouble to pick the best 
men. There was some Inevitable criticism, here and 
there a little heartburning among those passed over ; 
but when William Earned, Beals C. Wright, 
Holcombe Ward and William J. Clothier finally set 
sail under the trustworthy captaincy of Mr. Paul 
Dalshields, Americans from President Roosevelt 



268 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

downwards united in voting them a fine fighting 
team. The first three had played in England fairly 
recently, Ward in the memorable double mentioned 
in the preceding chapter, while of Clothier it was 
said that he had the figure of a guardsman and the 
strokes of a Larned. Trained and tended like 
racehorses, these four Americans were certainly a 
formidable, almost an awe-inspiring, combination. I 
remember being impressed by such outward symbols 
of majesty as black shoes, leather racket-cases and a 
certain dionified aloofness off the courts. 

Queen's Club was the venue of the eliminating 
ties this year, and here in the preceding London 
championships Beals Wright gave an earnest of the 
Americans' form by defeating Brookes, whose re- 
markable service and volleying powers had already 
created a mild sensation. The States were drawn to 
play France in the first round, while Australasia were 
pitted against Austria, making their debut in the 
international arena. There was nothing very re- 
markable about these contests. They ended in 
hollow victories-^ for the two English-speaking 
nations. Decugis clearly demonstrated his com- 
parative impotence on grass, while both the Austrians, 
and especially Von Wesseley, created a most favour- 
able impression. The Americans did not call on 
'* Champion Larned " in this series, but Holcombe 
Ward, the then title-holder, was in great form, 
executing his inimitable chop volleys with true 
artistic delicacy. Brookes and Dunlop, I recall, had 

^ Neither America nor Australasia lost a match. America lost one 
set (Clothier to Germot) and Australasia two (Wilding one each to 
Kinzl and Von Wesseley). 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 269 

some difficulty in beating the Austrians in the doubles 
without the loss of a set. It was obvious they had 
not yet got the bit between their teeth in double 
harness. 

To say that America beat Australasia by five 
matches to love in the final round is to furnish no 
true conception of what in reality was a stern and 
strenuous engagement. Wilding was comfortably 
disposed of by both Wright and Larned — this result 
was expected. What was not expected and what 
when it happened, occasioned many lifted eyebrows, 
was the victory which both these x^mericans scored 
over the redoubtable Brookes, by that time thought 
to be well-nigh invincible, a worthy foe for Doherty's 
steel. The battle^ between Wright and Brookes 
was one of the best exhibitions of spectacular tennis 
I have ever witnessed. Both men were left-handed, 
which added a novelty to the conflict, and both had 
whipping, breakaway services which they followed to 
the net. The rests therefore were mainly composed 
of short and sharp volleying often characterised by 
great brilliancy and audacity and the fact that the 
match lasted over two hours is an indication of how 
the issue wavered. In this contest Brookes used an 
abnormally loose racket, the gut being knotted with 
the object of invoking more break, and (since repent- 
ing of his whim) I believe he attributes his defeat to 
this cause. For my own part I am inclined to give 
Wright full credit for this noteworthy victory. On 
that day he was slightly the better tactician, his 
*' kills " had more finality, his volleying was a shade 
crisper. And the fact that Larned subsequently 

1 Wright won 12-10, 5-7, 12-10, 6-4. 



2 70 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

defeated Brookes without the loss of a set,^ though 
the first was mighty close, confirms this impression. 
I do not think Larned could have beaten Wright as 
the latter played at Queen's on that occasion. The 
doubles was a tough and anxious engagement for the 
American champions, but they survived it creditably, 
losing but one set.^ Thus was America once more 
able to challenge England for supremacy. 

Again I would remark that the figures chronicling 
the triumph of the holders are entirely misleading if 
taken by themselves. For America to lose two five- 
set matches in the singles, both against the English 
champion, and to come within a few aces of vanquish- 
ing the Doherty brothers in the doubles, while it 
testifies to the imperviousness of the home defence, 
also demonstrates the formidable character of the 
American attack — an attack that quite conceivably, 
with a little more luck, might have achieved success. 
1 shall always thank my lucky stars I was a witness 
of this memorable struggle, to my mind one of the 
most impressive ever seen at Wimbledon. Both 
sides — I must not forget to mention that S. H. Smith 
was wisely selected to assist the Dohertys in the 
defence — were screwed up to concert pitch. So 
carefully trained and dieted were the Americans — no 
University crew ever received so much attention — 
that I veritably believe that if the combat had been 
postponed another week Mr, Dalshields would have 
become positively morbid with over-anxiety. Rumours 
used to reach me of some of the training "wheezes" 
employed, and one day, happening to penetrate into 

^ Lamed won 14-12, 6-0, 6-3. 

^ Ward and Wright beat Brookes and Dunlop, 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. 




HOLCOMBE WAI^D, IJEALS C. WRIGHT, I\rR. PAUL DALSH lEI.DS (CAPTAIn), W. A. LAKNED, \V. J. CLOTHIER 

THE AMERICAN DAVIS CUP TEAM, 1905 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 271 

the sanctity of the dressing-room, I discovered Ward 
busily engaged in applying a solution of alcohol to 
his body. Another *'tip'' of the Americans was to 
drink cold tea between the sets. Even now I can 
see Mr. Paul Dalshields corkscrewing his way among 
the spectators armed with a capacious teapot which 
he impressively deposited on the umpire's chair. 
Not that the envoys from the States went about 
boasting of their prime condition. They observed, 
one and all, a solemn reticence about the Spartan 
methods adopted to make them perfect athletes — 
possibly lest the secret should reach their rivals' ears ! 
Instead of housing themselves at a fashionable West 
End hotel the team made their headquarters at 
Wimbledon, where none could frustrate their dis- 
cipline or lure them away from the paths of 
righteousness. 

I think no one could ever desire to witness a more 
electrical display than Holcombe Ward presented 
against H. L. Doherty in the first two sets, both of 
which fell to his racket — I had almost written his 
magician's wand. It was like nothing ever seen on 
the centre court before or since. There was the 
little dark-haired New Yorker, with his immobile, 
intellectual face, his short pattering stride, literally 
" downing " the world's champion, or so it seemed, 
before the eyes of his admirers. Up like a racing 
dog would come the agile Ward after his service and 
with a deft turn of his pliable wrist intercept every one 
of the champion's returns — now a chop that made the 
ball lay dead, like a mashie shot on the green, next 
a shot cross volley that found an opening even Doherty 
could not guard, then a backhand hook which barely 



272 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

grazed the top of the net. Of course his service broke 
— what American volleyer's does not ? But in this 
match it gyrated more than ever and it puzzled the 
champion a good deal. From my place on the line 
I could perceive Mr. Dalshields vainly attempting to 
suppress his smiles and in the committee box I could 
see the high priests of English lawn tennis moving 
uneasily in their seats. But the salvation of '' H. L. " 
was at hand. His own well-stored reservoir of 
strength permitted him to wait with confidence for 
the draining of the American's resources ; he felt, too, 
that Ward's exhibition was like a pyrotechnic display 
that leaves darkness in its train. In fact, the American 
soon began to hoist signals of distress ; his sprints to 
the net became less frequent, his hand lost much of 
its cunning, he resorted to lobbing and some of it was 
short enough for Doherty to smother. The end 
came painfully with a love set.^ It was almost a 
tragedy. 

Here I should like to point out that the laws in 
America permit a player to enjoy seven minutes' 
respite at the conclusion of the third set during which 
he may secure a " rub-down " and change his flannels, 
whereas in England no such recuperative pause is 
allowed. I do not say Ward would have beaten 
Doherty if he had obtained this '' breather " — for he 
had practically shot his bolt — but, given some such 
interval to which he was accustomed, his collapse 
would probably have been less conspicuous. 

The Americans have always had a wholesome 
dread of S. H. Smith. They worship at the shrine 
of Doherty, but they would sooner see either of the 

1 H. L. Doherty beat Ward 7-9, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 273 

brothers on the other side of the net in a single than 
the great base-line driver. Not only is Smith ab- 
solutely unruffled by their screw services, accepting 
them more readily than the lightning deliveries of 
F. L. Riseley, but he can pass them with impunity at 
the net. '*We are forced to play Smith from the 
back of the court," they would say ; "to go up is to 
forfeit an ace or at best to invite disaster." R. D. 
Little and Ward both tried the close-quarter game in 
1906 ; it failed hopelessly. Larned tried it during part 
of his match in 1905 ; he was forced to retreat. The 
aim was too accurate, the force too severe. Larned 
managed to win one set from Smith, while taking two 
from Doherty. In fact, Smith's record against the 
Americans at Wimbledon is superior to that of any 
other Englishman,^ and it will always be a source of 
keen regret that he was not able to defend the Cup 
in 1907. Another memorable double was fought out 
in 1905 between the respective champions of England 
and America. Ward and Wright proved themselves 
more consistent, better tacticians than Ward and 
Davis — Wright, too, is a prince among low volleyers 
and Ward second to none at the judicious toss — and 
the Dohertys were only just able to run out in the 
fifth set.^ But for the fact that Ward accidentally hit 
the net after essaying a simple smash — one of those 
nerve-straining incidents that vitally affect the issue — 
America would, I fancy, have won this great match. 

The failure of the 1905 team to recapture the- Cup 
naturally caused disappointment in the States and 

^ In Davis Cup ties against America at Wimbledon Smith has won 
12 sets and lost i. H. L. Doherty has won 12 and lost 6. 
2 The Dohertys won 8-10, 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 8-6. 
18 



274 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

the policy of the American captain in playing Larned 
in the singles ties of the challenge round in preference 
to Beals Wright, who had exhibited such fine form 
against Australasia, was a theme for some adverse 
comment. As to this, it need only be said that the 
selection of Larned was put to the vote of the whole 
team before the meeting with England and that he 
obtained his place with the full approval of his 
colleagues. Possibly Wright might have done a 
little better than the present champion, but I doubt 
whether he would have beaten Smith, leaving Doherty 
out of the question. 

Far from damping the enthusiasm of the 
Americans this last reverse only served to kindle 
fresh ardour and when next March came round the 
States not only advanced with another challenge 
but immediately set about recruiting a representative 
team. Beals Wright having won the American 
championship on his return from Ward, was naturally 
the first choice. The past holder was the second and 
the company was completed with the inclusion of 
Ralph D. Little of New York and Kreigh Collins of 
Chicago, champion of the Western States. The 
original idea was to play Ward and Wright in all the 
important matches, reserving Little and Collins 
in case of mishap ; but to universal regret Fate 
ordained that Beals Wright, the hope of his side and 
undoubtedly the best singles player in America at 
that time, should meet with a grievous accident to 
his hand on the eve of sailing from New York. It 
seems that the Bostonian, who was in training at the 
Crescent Athletic Club and was alone at the time, 
got up early in the morning and in attempting to 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 275 

force open a soda water bottle broke the glass and 
gashed the forefinger of his right hand. He was 
just able to telephone for medical assistance before 
collapsing. A special steamer was chartered to take 
him across to New York where the best available 
treatment was administered. On the next day 
Wright set sail for England with his arm in a sling 
and with doubtful prospect of representing his country 
in the internationals. The disaster was the more 
unfortunate because just prior to its happening the 
patient had exhibited form which gave tennis 
supporters in America every cause for the liveliest 
confidence and suggested his ability to win both his 
singles ties. On arriving at Liverpool Wright still 
had his hand bound up, but he informed me cheerily 
on the quay that, under favourable circumstances, he 
might be able to participate in the challenge round if 
America survived the preliminary tie with Australasia.^ 
These circumstances, however, did not occur. On 
the contrary, when he arrived in London Wright was 
immediately ordered into a nursing home where 
it was found that blood-poisoning had supervened 
in his finger. Days of some anxiety followed, that 
naturally affected adversely both the form and the 
spirits of the remaining players. But the meeting 
with Australasia had been arranged to take place at 
Newport, Monmouthshire, and thither journeyed the 
respective teams, the Americans being joined by a 
party of ladies who, I remember, expressed much 
disappointment at the grim appearance of the Welsh 

^ France and Austria both challenged and the first round was set for 
decision at Liverpool ; but at the last minute through reasons not quite 
apparent neither team appeared on the scene. 



276 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

Newport, so different in its social atmosphere 
from their own. The fair supporters nevertheless 
zealously explored the neighbourhood in quest of 
diversion, modern and ancient, and judging by the 
uproarious gaiety which prevailed at the Westgate 
Hotel after dusk their excursions in the Wye Valley 
must have braced their spirits. It was here that I 
first met the gentle and genial Mr. Frederick Wilding, 
father of Anthony Wilding, himself a former doubles 
champion of New Zealand. Mr. Wilding, visiting 
England after many years absence, came to Newport 
at an opportune moment, for it was against Holcombe 
Ward in this workaday city that his son gave of his 
very best. I recall that the American was leading 
five-three in the fifth set and apparently sailing 
serenely towards victory. A terrific fight for the 
next two games ended in the Colonial drawing level 
and then, after another sparkling exhibition on both 
sides, running out at eight-six. Meanwhile the other 
Australasian, L. O. S. Poidevin, withdrawn from the 
cricket arena to wield the racket, was showing 
surprising ability against Little, and when the two 
Wildings and myself left the ground to catch our 
train for London, Australasia actually held a lead 
in the final match of the series.^ Now a problem 
presented itself. The Wildings, father and son, had 
arranged to fly off that night to Prague for the 
Austrian tournament. If Poidevin took the third 
set from Little — he had already won one — and then 

^ At the finish America beat Australasia by three matches to two. 
Wilding won both his singles ties ; but Poidevin was narrowly beaten 
by Little, as well as by Ward, and the doubles went to America 7-5, 
6-2, 6-4. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 277 

another, Australasia would be in the challenge round 
and the little excursion to Bohemia would have to 
give way to a strenuous tussle on the centre court at 
Wimbledon. Most men would have waited to see 
the finish out, but Wilding fils was just then in one 
of his most virulently peripatetic moods, and nothing 
would persuade him (except Poidevin's unexpected 
victory, when he would willingly have stayed) to 
forego or postpone the trip. Accordingly I recollect 
arranging with some good friend to wire the result of 
the last match to Swindon, where we stopped en 
route to Paddington. We spent the whole of the 
journey to Swindon speculating on Poidevin^s chances, 
and when the buff-coloured envelope was put into 
my hands as I alighted We had all been forced to 
agree that Austria was ''on." It was. Poidevin 
had struggled bravely and had forced the third set 
to Vantage games, but he was not in adequate 
practice for a first-class bout and Little found all his 
form in the final set. The Wildings had twenty 
minutes to get to Cannon Street from Paddington 
and one porter was knocked down in the rush that 
ensued to get the baggage on to a hansom. I'm not 
sure how much was left behind here, but at Cannon 
Street the Wildings were. Motor-cabs had not then 
become general and even an irrepressible young 
Colonial must encounter some rebuffs. 

The challenge round at Wimbledon in 1906 was 
shorn of much of its interest by the enforced idleness 
of Beals Wright, whom I can see now sitting by the 
umpire's chair and holding an umbrella aloft with 
his uninjured hand. Poor Wright ! He must have 
cursed his luck that day. Deprived of meeting 



278 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

*' H. L." and Smith the previous year in singles, 
he had come over this year acknowledged by all 
to have a prior right ; yet once more he had to play 
the role of spectator. His colleagues made a brave 
fight, but except in the doubles they were outclassed. 
It is true Little astounded the gallery, as Ward had 
done the previous summer, by capturing two sets 
from H. L. Doherty, the American's volleying being 
as clean as it was audacious. But the English 
champion had somewhat under-estimated the powers 
of his opponent and began in his slackest mood ; 
when fully roused to action by the figures on the 
score-board he quickly turned the tables and finished, 
as he always does, the fresher of the two. S. H. 
Smith again showed his appreciation of American 
methods by winning two matches and six sets off 
the reel, his lightning passes being most exhilarating 
to watch ; while in the doubles the Dohertys, for 
the fifth year representing their country in this 
department, had a much stiffer ordeal to face than 
they expected and at one period were in real danger 
of defeat.^ Six weeks later the brothers lost the 
championship to Smith and Riseley, and I cannot 
help thinking their display in the international was 
a portent of what was to follow. In his overhead 
strokes *' R. F." was palpably less severe than usual. 
'* H. L." was not quite so infallible as he had been. 
There was no appreciable decline in his play, but 
*' R. F.'s" temporary loss of strength had loosened 
the strong link which had made them such an in- 
vulnerable combination. 

England, then, for the third year in succession 
^ The Dohertys beat Ward and Little, 3-6, 11-9, 9-7, 6-1. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 279 

had defended the international trophy without the 
loss of a match, and so long as she could command 
a team equal in skill and experience to those which 
gave battle on these occasions, the Cup appeared 
safe. But the lean year was at hand. Early in 
1907, just before the Covered Court Championship 
began at Queen's in April, it was announced that 
H. L. Doherty had decided to sheath his racket for 
a year. He would neither defend his title at 
Wimbledon nor be available for the international 
contest. I will not here set out the many reasons re- 
ported to have brought about this retirement which, 
at first discredited, subsequently caused the keenest 
disappointment. Most of them are probably wide 
of the mark. There was no apparent decline in 
form or in physique, but there was an appreciable 
escape of enthusiasm, and a strong desire to forego 
for one season at any rate the strain and excitement 
of strenuous match play. Perhaps Doherty would 
have been better advised had he announced his 
intention to resign the championship at the end 
of the preceding season ; but as it was, the 
question being one for personal consideration, no 
complaint could legitimately be brought against the 
holder for relinquishing his title after five years of 
sovereignty. The internationals stood in a different 
category. Here a player was not called upon to 
vindicate his own prowess and keep intact his own 
reputation. He was required to assist his country 
in the effort to retain possession of a coveted symbol 
— that of international supremacy. It was a case 
of honour not honours, and though there may have 
been some good and valid reason which kept '* H. L." 



2 8o THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

out of the team in 1907, I think the people who 
expressed surprise at his absence had some cause 
for their feeling. *' H. L." had borne the heat of 
the international campaign so long and so triumphantly 
— he had never once suffered a reverse either in 
England or America — that I can well believe he 
considered himself justified in withdrawing on the 
sixth occasion and leaving the work to other men. 
The pity was that he should have selected a year 
when his services were most required and when, so 
far as one could judge before the competition began, 
his absence meant the forfeiture of the Cup to foreign 
or colonial hands. 

Neither of the Dohertys being available, the 
selection committee had to seek other defenders. 
Needless to say, S. H. Smith was among the first 
to be asked and though the famous Stroud player 
had not participated in any tournaments during the 
summer, he consented to go into training and came 
to Wimbledon to get his hand and eye into trim. 
Frank Riseley, still suffering from the effects of a 
strained shoulder, did not play at all in 1907, and 
A. W. Gore had been selected to co-operate with 
Smith in the singles, the ex-champion with H. Roper 
Barrett being the combination for the doubles. This 
team, inferior as it was to that of 1905 and 1906, had 
potential elements of success about it, and the fact 
that Smith's record in Davis Cup ties eclipsed even 
that of H. L. Doherty, suggested that two matches 
at least might be won by the holders, while Gore 
was thought capable of winning one of his ties. But 
another withdrawal was to come. After finding in 
practice matches that his form had suffered by in- 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 281 

activity and that the damp courts then prevailing 
militated against a complete recovery, Smith re- 
luctantly retired, and Roper Barrett^ was deputed 
to take a double share in the defence. Thus did it 
come to pass that two of the three men chosen to 
represent England in the first Davis Cup contest 
should be solely responsible for the custody of the 
trophy seven years later. There could be no question 
as to their claim to this honour in view of the with- 
drawals that had taken place ; but the fact only 
served to emphasize how dominant the members of 
the old school still were. 

The chief impression left on my mind of the 1907 
Davis Cup matches was the "touch-and-go" character 
of the whole series. Just as America came within 
a few aces of beating Australasia^ in the preliminary 
round — how near the issue was we shall presently 
see — so did England,^ despite all anticipations to 
the contrary, come very near indeed to saving the 
trophy. Indeed, no series of matches since the 
international championship was created, except those 
at Boston in 1903, have hung so long in the 
balance as these, and it is opportune to reflect 
that on each occasion the result achieved affected a 
movement of the Cup. Thus did the defenders in 
both instances make a desperate effort to stem the 
invader. 

^ Dr. W. V. Eaves was also nominated for the British Isles. 

2 In aggregate of aces Australia won 703, America 672. 

3 The English team in this and former contests was officially 
described as "The British Isles"; but ever since the Cup matches 
were introduced Xh^ personnel of the English teams actually playing has 
(with one exception) been confined to Englishmen. Hence the use 
here and elsewhere of the shorter and more serviceable title. 



282 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

The next impression recorded from the struggle 
was that each nation had to depend too much upon 
the skill and endurance of one man ; not one of the 
three teams, in fact, was well balanced. Beals 
Wright, as it proved, was as much superior to Karl 
Behr in generalship on the American side as Brookes 
was to Wilding on the Australasian side, and the same 
may be said in lesser degree in regard to the 
greater capacity of Gore to win singles on the 
English side. Of course, both England and America 
were handicapped by the trend of circumstances 
which necessitated the employment of players not 
admittedly the best for the work in hand. The 
holders, as I have said, lacked the services of both 
Dohertys and of Smith and Riseley. America would 
have stood a better chance — in fact, a fairly safe 
winning chance — if either Earned or Clothier had 
replaced Behr in the singles and Ward had partnered 
Wright in the doubles. Not that Karl Behr, entirely 
new as he was to the international arena, did not give 
a fine display and justify his inclusion.^ He possibly 
did as well against Brookes as any American of that 
period would have done. But his impulsive tempera- 
ment and lack of stability at critical moments, his 
ungovernable desire to finish a rally by a sensational 
stroke before it had well begun, his inability to "piece 
himself out" for five protracted sets, were defects 
which, though they did not detract from the brilliancy 
of his play, probably lost him the deciding match with 
Wilding. At one time the simple destruction of a 
short lob would have made the Yale man '' four-two " 
in the fifth set. It was a stroke the accomplishment 

^ Behr had beaten Larned at Newport, U.S.A., the previous year. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 283 

of which might — who shall deny ?— have decided the 
destiny of the Davis Cup and perchance have 
restored it to its original owners. Behr is by 
no means singular in missing such chances ; the 
annals of lawn tennis bristle with lost opportunities. 
I mention the incident to show how the result 
of great contests may depend upon a slight deflec- 
tion of the wrist or the smallest miscalculation of 
the eye. 

The difference between the two members of each 
team visible in the singles was even more conspicu- 
ous in the doubles when the component parts were 
joined together. Norman Brookes with his magic 
service and cunning volleying proved himself well- 
nigh invincible when engaged in single combat, but 
allied with Wilding (or for that matter with any 
player of first-class ability) he became more vulnerable 
and less irresistible. This fact was demonstrated not 
only in the two Davis Cup doubles which he lost 
but in one or two additional reverses. The short 
cross-volleys and hooked returns, so deadly when 
only one adversary had to be outmanoeuvred, proved 
less potent in a wider court where two opposing 
rackets were concerned. Again, the lack of a back- 
hand drive comparable in force and direction with 
his forehand drive and his inability to bury over- 
head balls were characteristics almost amounting to 
defects in a double game. To the onlooker most of 
the game is seen, and though Brookes may honestly 
believe that Gore and Barrett ought to go down in 
three sets before himself and Wilding, my own 
opinion, for what it is worth, is that the Englishmen 
are a better combination and were fully entitled to 



2 84 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

their sensational victory.^ Neither Brookes nor 
Wilding has the slaying capacity of Barrett at the 
net, nor has Wilding the all-round tactical experience 
and resource of either Barrett or Gore. In service 
the Colonials are of course superior, but the strange 
part about both men's deliveries — a temporary aberra- 
tion incident to many of their engagements — is that 
they are less irresistible when their ascendancy is most 
required. This may or may not be a failing common 
to most champions, but it was certainly not a weak- 
ness of the Dohertys, who would, there can be little 
question, have secured an unembarrassed victory over 
the present doubles champions. I will go so far as 
to say in this respect that it was something of an 
accident that Brookes and Wilding became the joint 
title-holders in 1907. 

But in singles the redoubtable Victorian, in these 
Davis Cup ties, was indisputably the king of the court. 
To him and almost to him alone must be given the 
credit for the capture of the trophy. He lost but one 
set ^ in four matches ; Wilding lost nine in four, both 
men engaging the same opponents. Brookes beat 
Wilding's two conquerors in three straight sets. 
His display, too, in the last match against America 
was worthy of the occasion. Wright had defeated 
Wilding and made the issue depend on the battle 
between Brookes and Behr. With startling nerve 
the American won the first set, once more giving an 
electrical exhibition of close-quarter volleying. From 

^ After requiring only a single ace to give them a three-set-to-love 
victory, Brookes and Wilding were beaten by Gore and Barrett with the 
following score: 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 13-11. The match lasted over 
two hours. 

2 To Karl Behr. 



THE STORY OF THE DAVIS CUP, 1904-1907 285 

the dressing-room window Wright, in a fever of 
suppressed excitement, was watching the movements 
of the score-board In the centre court. Before he had 
dressed the men were three-all in the second bout. 
Was It possible the Cup might — ? Wait ! There 
was a set to the Australian. He had got abreast. 
The Yale boys, crowded together in a corner of one 
of the stands, had ceased to yell. Old George 
Wright of Boston had stopped clapping. Now 
Brookes was gaining rapidly. His jaw was set like 
a vice. He served and volleyed as he had never 
served and volleyed before. Behr was passing his 
hand nervously through his black hair as he walked 
back *'to receive." The ordeal was too great. 
Hold! His powder was not quite exhausted. He 
would steady himself to fire his last shots. He would 
show those Yale fellows, whom he lately captained, 
that Americans went down with their colours flying. 
But all the while the grim, Iron-nerved Australian, 
conscious of victory, was advancing to the goal. 

That match, in which America's hopes faded and 
Australasia's triumph was practically sealed, will 
stand out among the many famous contests that have 
made the Davis Cup competition both a medium for 
rivalry and an instrument for goodwill among the 
nations. 



CHAPTER XVIII 
ROUND THE RIVIERA COURTS 

Differences in conditions — And in the scale of living expenses — 
The game par excellence on the Continent — The attractions of the 
Beau Site Courts — Royalty at Cannes — Some social attributes and 
harmless gaieties — Concerning the Nice Club — Tournament administra- 
tion at home and abroad — Genial personalities at Nice — Memorable 
matches in the South of France — The Casino element at Monte Carlo — 
Playing before celebrities — Tom Burke — Mentone a self-owned club — 
One effect of railway travelling on the Riviera 

I SUPPOSE the education of a lawn tennis 
player or rather of a lawn tennis tourist, 
cannot be regarded as complete until he has 
visited the French Riviera during the season and 
traversed the round of tournaments which consti- 
tute one of its features. It is not everybody who can 
afford the time and the money to patronize these 
sunny meetings and not everybody who, when he 
gets to the South of France, can reproduce the form 
that has brought him fame and prizes on English 
grass courts. Instances could be mentioned where 
even champions, attempting to conquer without initial 
experience the conditions atmospherically, photo- 
logically and psychologically novel, have ignomini- 
ously failed and returned to a fog-bound London 
sadder and wiser men. But if a player goes out to 

the South early enough and surveys the ground 

286 



ROUND THE RIVIERA COURTS 287 

before attempting to erect his structure of tournament 
successes, disillusionment and dismay may be avoided. 
He may still find the conditions embarrassing and 
difficult to master, but he will have made a fool of 
himself in comparative privacy. Like the cautious 
householder, about to enjoy the felicities of a hot bath 
but doubtful as to the temperature of the water, he 
can go cautiously to work. 

Participation in the Riviera tournaments involves, 
as I have said, considerable expense, but nothing 
like the disbursement which is popularly supposed. 
It is a fallacy, associated with most fashionable 
resorts abroad, to suppose that the cost of living at 
Monte Carlo, Nice or Cannes is any more than the 
cost of living at English coast resorts like Eastbourne 
or Felixstowe, to name two tennis centres. Of 
course every facility is offered to the sybaritic visitor 
to rid himself of superfluous wealth. I have 
myself — by invitation, let me add — dined at Monte 
Carlo hotels where a sovereign a day is a normal 
charge for a bedroom alone and where, if the "guest " 
prescribes himself a whisky-and-soda and suggests 
that it might be conveyed to his room, he is mulcted 
to the extent of five francs on his bill. Nor are 
some of the less pretentious hotels guileless in respect 
to flagrant overcharging. I recall one hotel in this 
district I once had the bad fortune to patronize — or 
rather which patronized me — where the concierge 
must have reaped during the season quite a nice 
little harvest by practising an audacious trick on 
visitors not smart or bold enough to expose it. It 
was customary here as elsewhere for the hall-porter 
to order carriages and to charge for them on a 



288 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

separate bill exempt from managerial inspection. 
The porter made it a rule to present this bill for 
payment on the very eve of the guest's departure, 
producing it in fact as an after-thought when the 
traveller was in no mood to discuss details. On 
subsequently examining this almost illegible document 
the payee would discover that he had been display- 
ing an abnormal passion for vehicular traffic. At 
least thrice as many vehicles as he had actually used 
would be down on the bill. If he was not a man 
habitually imposed upon, philosophically accepting 
such taxes as ''part of his holiday," he would doubt- 
less smother that concierge, now securely fleecing 
his next victim, in curses. If detection came on the 
spot, the wily fellow had a very artful excuse ready 
at hand. *' But sztrely, Mr. So-and-So, you ordered 
six carriages during your stay ? " he would say in 
his blandest manner. " Why, I telephoned for them 
myself'^ Upon your gently pointing out that you 

were not Mr. So-and-So, but Mr. , and that you 

had had but one carriage to take you to the Casino 
on a rainy night, he would instantly assume a most 
apologetic air. ''A thousand pardons, M'sieur! 
I have stupidly mistaken you for the gentleman on 
the first floor. Really, you are dressed almost 
identically alike. Voilal I will correct the mistake 
instantly." One would have been open to bet 
that if the ''gentleman on the first floor" had taken 
his departure a few minutes earlier, he would not 
have been debited with only one carriage ! 

In point of fact, there are to be found on the 
Riviera hotels suited to every pocket except that of 
the veritable tripper and him the caterers of sun- 



ROUND THE RIVIERA COURTS 289 

seeking mankind have no desire to lure to the 
Littoral. Nice, the southern home of winter lawn 
tennis, has many excellent private hotels where, by 
arrangement with the proprietors, pension can be 
obtained for ten francs a day — I know of some 
where the charge is even less. At Mentone the same 
board-and-residence facilities are obtainable, and 
though Monte Carlo and Cannes are less inclined 
to consider the smaller economies of living, the 
judicious inquirer can always find accommodation 
at moderate prices at these resorts. Lawn tennis 
players have a habit here, as elsewhere, of flying in 
a flock, a habit that ensures a community of social 
interests as well as tending to reduce the ordinary 
tariff to a special level. The proprietor of a foreign 
hotel generally has a keen eye to business, and the 
prospect of renewing your acquaintance next year 
and possibly securing new clients through your 
influence is one which he never neglects. Nor 
does he fail to regard the tournament competitor 
as something of an appendage to his establishment, 
as a guest may be whose name and fame will figure 
prominently in the papers. For on the Continent lawn 
tennis is the game par excellence. Practised and 
patronised by royalty and by many a nobleman whose 
lineage is proclaimed in the Almanac de Gotha, it 
yields to no pastime in focusing attention and forming 
a topic of social conversation. Indeed, in some of the 
most fashionable resorts it has no serious rival as an 
athletic diversion, combining the medium for physical 
exercise with the theatre for spectacular effect. Muni- 
cipal authorities have not been slow to recognize its 
magnetic properties and to develop its popularity. 
19 



290 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

If I were asked which set of courts on the Riviera 
offers the most enjoyment and combine with the 
natural beauty of their surroundings a surface second 
to none in France, I think there could be only one 
answer — the Beau Site sand courts at Cannes. 
*' People say," Mr. H. W. Wilberforce once wrote, 
''that Americans when they die go to Paris; of a 
verity the Paradise of lawn tennis players is Cannes." 
That is just praise. It is possible the new-comer 
may experience greater initial dismay on the Beau 
Site courts than on some of the other courts in the 
South. For they may be a trifle slower and more 
exposed to the torrid glare of an afternoon sun. 
But once the visitor has shaken off the effects of 
the cross-country journey and has learnt to treat 
the new conditions with the respect they deserve 
he will be charged with admiration for this arena. 
Situated on an elevation some considerable distance 
from the centre of the town, in the grounds of a 
hotel famous for the delectable views of sea and ' 
land it commands, the courts are entirely independent 
of extraneous buildings. Powerful as the sun's rays 
may be they are not reflected by white-faced villas 
such as surround the courts at Nice and Monte Carlo. 
The background is a high green latticed fence on one 
side and a grove of orange and eucalyptus trees on 
the other, while the spectators, given no cause to 
intrude on the playing surface, are catered for on a 
terrace to the left. The courts themselves are made 
of a particularly fine and adiactinic sand, indigenous 
to the district, which rolls out to perfection, especially 
after a light shower. They receive, as all good courts 
should, careful and minute attention at the hands of 



ROUND THE RIVIERA COURTS 291 

experienced gardeners who, with their brooms, hose 
and rollers, are always to be found in early attendance. 
Whether it is the consistency of the climate, the 
boon and volatile companionship that one meets with 
at Cannes, the uniformity of the courts or the social 
gaieties that supplement but do not necessarily inter- 
fere with the game, I do not know, but certain it is 
that here, within a mile of the Esterelles and a stone's 
throw of the blue Mediterranean, 'mid the blossoms 
of mimosa trees and the intoxicating perfumes of 
carnations and other exotics, is an incomparable 
arena for lawn tennis. The Beau Site has been the 
Mecca for the racket-laden tourist these thirty years. 
In its most primitive stage, when the balls were made 
of worsted and the net as high as a Badminton net, 
the game was introduced there, while early in the 
eighties the two Renshaws and H. F. Lawford 
descended on Cannes with rules and strokes bearing 
the hall-mark of the All England Club and for years 
the twins made It the winter headquarters of their 
exploits. Since then almost every champion from 
every country has revelled In the sunshine of the 
Beau Site, displaying his prowess before a company 
frequently augmented by a royal visitor. It was at 
Cannes, that King Edward, as Prince of Wales, was 
first initiated into the scientific principles of first-class 
lawn tennis and In watching the Dohertys perform 
observed that the pastime was something more than 
a gentle exercise for the diversion of garden-party 
guests. The Grand Duke Michael of Russia was 
another ardent patron of the tournaments here ; so, 
too, was the late Duke of Cambridge who, on one 
occasion when distributing the prizes, expressed regret 



292 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

that army officers fifty years ago had not enjoyed 
the physical benefits of lawn tennis. The Grand 
Duchess Anastasie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, mother 
of the German Crown Princess, has for many years 
taken an active interest in prize meetings held on 
these courts, in some of which she has herself 
competed and to all of which she has brought a 
keen personal enthusiasm. The great charm about 
the Beau Site tournament, held usually about the 
third week in March, is its self-contained character. 
A few competitors may come over daily from Nice 
or may walk in from a neighbouring hotel or villa, 
but the majority are staying in the Beau Site hotel 
which at this time also shelters a goodly company 
of genial golfers. Hence there is much innocent 
fun — bridge parties, flying motor excursions to Monte 
Carlo, fancy dress balls at which it is a point of 
honour for every player to appear in some eccentric 
guise, concerts, dances and I know not what. There 
is always a bevy of nice girls to keep the men 
civilized and the merriment is sometimes tremendous. 
Flirtations are not unknown and more than one player 
has lost his heart, if only temporarily, in this merry 
mansion. I recall one occasion, when a popular cup- 
holder, setting out for a Spanish seaport, there to 
initiate the Spaniards into the mysteries of the screw 
service, was literally held up by a party of fair 
admirers, the ladies virtually using main force to 
detain the peripatetic champion within their domain. 
At length when by some physical subterfuge he had 
eluded their clutches and gained the shelter of the 
waiting cab, the maidens, not to be out-manoeuvred, 
found a short cut to the road and there so delayed 



ROUND THE RIVIERA COURTS 293 

the progress of the travellers that one of them in his 
subsequent hurry to catch the train left his overcoat 
behind on the arm of a porter and forgot to extract 
his ticket from his registered baggage ! Such is the 
riotous fun at the Beau Site. And when the serious 
work of the tournament is over there is generally a 
cry for some freak match in which, possibly as the 
outcome of a wager, a player attempts to give absurd 
odds under conditions equally whimsical. If I mistake 
not, it was at the Beau Site that Ernest Renshaw, 
garbed in a skirt, handsomely defeated two ladies 
using a double court, while here it was that H. L. 
Doherty, conceding what proved to be an impossible 
handicap to quite a respectable opponent, very nearly, 
but not quite, placed £100 in the pocket of a sporting 
admirer. 

Close at hand, at Napoule, easily reached by 
brake or train or motor, are the Cannes golf links, 
memorable if only as the scene of Arnaud Massy s 
first international triumph when, at the great 
professional tournament organized by the Grand 
Duke Michael, he secured two first prizes and 
heralded his apotheosis at Hoylake. On that 
occasion, I recall, H. L. Doherty did duty as a 
marker, and as the little champion, cleek in hand 
and pencil in pocket, strode from hole to hole in 
the wake of the massively built, iron-nerved French- 
man, who was soon to become the champion of the 
sister game, I could not help contrasting their re- 
spective physiques, yet noting that both had the ideal 
temperament for spectacular sport. After all, it is the 
control of the mind, just as much as the control of 
muscles, that conduces to mastership in games. 



294 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

I have written of the Cannes courts -^ first because 
they are in my humble opinion the best and most 
engaging arena for the Riviera visitor, hallowed by 
tradition, still retaining their pristine glory. But 
they are by no means the only inviting centre for 
lawn tennis in these radiant parts. As one of 
the best managed clubs in Europe, the venue of 
the South of France Championships, and the 
winter rendezvotis of many keen Continental 
votaries, the Nice Club has justly earned wide 
fame. The tourist has merely to sample its 
attractive fare to add his meed of praise to the 
general chorus. With many a stern international 
match contested in this enclosure, the tennis here 
is naturally of a more serious character than it is 
at Cannes or Mentone. Competitors feel, as it were, 
that they have the eyes of the outside world upon 
them, whereas at the Beau Site the warriors are 
occasionally crying a halt to tension. As soon as 
November turns, the club's wheels, carefully oiled 
during the summer, begin to revolve, the old 
habitudes turn up again, resuming their quarters at 
the neighbouring Continental or at some villa or 
hotel close by ; notes of a summer's travel and 
tournaments are compared, the fixture card com- 
pleted and many a tough private battle waged. 
Soon after Christmas there is the annual club 
tournament. Then in the second week of March, 
with the Nice season at its height and signs of 
King Carnival's riotings still visible, comes the 
open tournament, so long dominated by the 

^ A new club, known as The Cannes Lawn Tennis Club, was 
opened in February 1908. 



ROUND THE RIVIERA COURTS 295 

Dohertys. Thanks mainly to the enterprising and 
tactful rule of Mr. A. G. Morganstern who, on 
returning to America a couple of years ago, was 
compelled to resign the honorary secretaryship, the 
financial side of the Nice Club has always been 
flourishing. Having no rent to pay (the ground 
was the spontaneous gift of a games-loving resident) 
the committee spend every penny of their surplus 
funds in improving the ground and its appointments. 
Thus only last year a complete system of new 
drainage was installed, each of the four courts being 
served separately and independently ; the handsome 
pavilion was so improved that the sun gains 
admission to every room ; while the courts them- 
selves were top-dressed anew and made to assume 
their original colour — the dark red tinge of the 
Esterel earth. About eighty permanent members, 
fifty monthly members and some hundred and 
eighty non-playing members now enjoy the 
privileges of this luxurious club. The subscription 
is not high considering the manifold advantages — 
new balls practically every day, ball- boys, hot shower- 
baths, all the latest papers are some. I think it 
is ;^4 for the year or season, £2 for a month and 
sixteen shillings for non-playing permanent members. 
The prizes and cups presented during the season 
are always handsome, their total value amounting 
to something like ^450. Indeed, the club is 
almost too generous in this respect. They could 
not of course award what they do unless their own 
efforts were supplemented by the town of Nice, the 
Casinos and many private donors. 

As for the open tournament, I know of few 



296 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

on the Continent so efficiently and expeditiously 
managed. Organized on imperial lines, every 
department has its official in charge. There is a 
reception committee, a squad of gentlemen whose 
special duty it is to find umpires, and members 
delegated to superintend the distribution of balls, 
admissions to the stand, the proper working of the 
scoring-board, the programmes, the press, and the 
ball-boys. I am not sure there is not a committee- 
man in the dressing-room to put your damp clothes 
into the hot-air cupboard, another to hand you a 
towel after you have enjoyed the luxury of a warm 
shower, and a third to operate the giant racket-press 
that stands waiting to sheathe your sword ! Do you 
seek seclusion and shelter from the sun's glare pend- 
ing an important match, there is the club-room at 
hand, containing the very best library of lawn 
tennis literature I have ever set eyes on, signed 
portraits of famous players and a generous supply 
of daily and weekly newspapers. Ample, too, are 
the facilities for comfortable letter-writing. Lately 
some of the larger clubs in England have afforded 
their members the convenience of a writing-room and 
in other ways studied their interests, but most of them 
have yet something to learn from the Nice Club. 
Of course there is an ''Order of play" arranged 
overnight — that boon is now a recognized feature 
of practically every Continental tournament. The 
competitor who is staying, let us say, at the Regina 
Hotel, Cimiez, can telephone down about five 
o'clock in the afternoon and learn precisely at what 
hour he will be required to be in attendance in the 
morning, or whether he will be wanted at all. 



ROUND THE RIVIERA COURTS 297 

Similarly, players coming from Mentone or Cannes 
can fit their movements in with the tabulated 
schedule ; there is no irritating delay, no necessity 
to mob the referee in order to make him speculate on 
the probabilities of your playing before lunch or before 
dusk and certainly none of the elements of chaos and 
uncertainty that mar the pleasure of a few big 
tournaments in England. I have dealt with this 
question of efficient tournament management else- 
where and have no desire in this discursive chapter 
to emphasize comparisons between the conduct of 
home and foreign meetings, especially as the latter 
have initial advantages over English tournaments 
that conduce to smoother working. But, making 
full allowance for such facilitating factors as more 
settled weather, a smaller entry and the absence of 
competitors with business claims whose leisure is 
limited and who may arrive late on the ground with 
a very sound excuse, I am bound to say that the 
general administration of foreign meetings from the 
player's point of view is superior. And a close 
study of the Nice tournament and of others I could 
name — some of them controlled by Englishmen, 
let me add — is calculated to remove all doubts. 

The Nice Club abounds with genial personalities. 
I have already mentioned Mr. Morganstern, to whom 
the club owes a debt which it can never repay. Full 
of the humour which compels affection, a splendid 
organizer, always enterprising yet never rash, keen to 
play but keener to facilitate the play of others, he 
was a very lovable and able fellow. The present 
secretary, M. Alvarado Rice, is a worthy successor, 
who has the best interests of the club at heart. His 



298 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

zeal during the tournament is proverbial. I shall 
always remember a few years back, watching his arm 
descending automatically into the ball-box near the 
close of every set in which a crack was concerned, 
drawing out six new balls, deftly holding them, three 
in each hand, until the last rally had been played, 
and then as dexterously shooting them out to the 
ball-boys standing on either side of the court. The 
whole process was an exhibition of human mechanism 
of which M. Alvarado, solemn as a shunter on point 
duty, was an unconscious master. I once asked M. 
Alvarado how many new balls he used during the 
tournament. ** From sixty to sixty-five dozen," was 
his reply. Verily, I think a wink would produce a 
boxful ! 

Sound judge of the game, one of its shrewdest 
chroniclers in the press, and a player of no mean 
distinction a few years back is Mr. F. L. Fassitt, now 
a vice-president of the club and for long its bulwark. 
As I write I can see his round, cheery countenance 
peering through the stop-netting above the over- 
lapping hands supported on a stick and beneath a 
Homburg hat cocked slightly on one side. Only 
once did I see a shadow of genuine annoyance sweep 
over its plane and that was when the recent champion 
of a great Republic went into court against an 
opponent whom Fassitt fancied he could "hold" if 
not demolish, and yet, to almost everybody's surprise, 
failed to score a single game in two sets. And the 
painful part of it was, from the vice-president's point 
of view, the routed champion did not seem to mind 
his subjugation in the slightest ; he did not even 
make the customary excuses in the dressing-room. I 



ROUND THE RIVIERA COURTS 299 

rather suspect Fassitt wrote some caustic sentences in 
his despatch to Paris that night about the South of 
France championship being treated in such cavalier 
fashion, and I should not wonder if he is still smarting 
silently over this whimsical upheaval of form. In 
truth, you cannot display your best form on Perrier 
Jouet, followed by cr^me de menthe ! 

Indefatigable though unobtrusive worker on the 
club's behalf is Mr. H. W. Stonehewer Bird who, 
during the tournament, generally has charge of the 
games-indicator, and is so familiar by years of practice 
with its somewhat laboured mechanism that the 
executive, it is said, view his promotion with appre- 
hension. Among regular winter denizens are the 
twin Aliens, almost a landmark in the Avenue de la 
Gare during February and March. It was here, if I 
remember aright, that I first had the pleasure of 
meeting the Countess Schulenburg, best and most 
graceful of all German lady players and for years an 
invincible mixed partner to R. F. Doherty. The 
Countess won the South of France ladies' champion- 
ship in 1900, 1902 and 1904. S. H. Smith and F. 
L. Riseley, who in double harness had gone through 
the previous summer season in England without 
losing a single match (not even at Wimbledon, where 
they defeated the Dohertys and gained championship 
honours) made a very welcome first appearance on 
the Riviera in 1903 — a winter season which probably 
witnessed the highest-class tennis ever seen in these 
parts. There were some great matches at Monte 
Carlo before Smith came on to Nice. In the Monte 
Carlo Cup '* H. L." playing Smith at his own back- 
court game and beating him 6-2, 6-2, retired to his 



300 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

brother, the holder, in the semi-final. Meanwhile 
Riseley had become thoroughly acclimatized and was 
well-nigh irresistible. He put out Ritchie in the 
semi-final with the loss of one set in four and then 
faced ** R. F." in what proved to be an ever- 
memorable encounter. In the third game of the first 
set Riseley had the bad fortune to slip and fall ; he 
was slightly stunned and he cut his knee severely. 
Nevertheless, though this mishap naturally affected 
his game and assisted Doherty to take the first set 
comfortably at 6-i (31 aces to 18), it could not damp 
the fire of the Cliftonian s brilliancy. In the second 
bout, after the holder led 5-3, Riseley made a 
magnificent recovery and '* fourteen-all " was called 
before ** R. F " forfeited his service and finally the set 
at 14-16. At this juncture Riseley retired, and though 
he might not have won the match had he gone on — 
" R. F." was holding him fairly confidently — the 
performance was worthy of all credit. It was at the 
same meeting that the nev/ doubles champions, 
playing the Dohertys level in the second round of 
the handicap doubles, repeated their triumph at 
Wimbledon, Riseley being the hero of a strenuous 
fight. Both pairs, it may be noted, won five games 
off the reel in the first set, the final score in the 
Gloucestershire men's favour being 1 1-9, 6-^, 6-4. 
As Smith and Riseley also won the open doubles, 
defeating R. F. Doherty and G. W. Hillyard in the 
final, and Smith won the mixed with Mrs. Winch, 
Monte Carlo has, I doubt not, very pleasant memories 
for the West of England ''firm." A few days later 
H. L. Doherty and Smith met in the final of the 
South of France Championship at Nice. Five 



ROUND THE RIVIERA COURTS 301 

terrific sets were contested, Smith winning the first 
two and the holder the next three. The result 
demonstrated the truth of Doherty's contention that 
the only way to beat Smith was to play him at his 
own game and be prepared to '' run a hundred miles " 
— a plan of campaign which the American inter- 
nationals never could adopt. 

One story may be told relating to the great driver's 
first and only appearance in the Riviera arena — I 
believe it to have the additional merit of being true. 
In one of his early rounds Smith had disposed of a 
foreign competitor with such ease that the umpire's 
work was reduced to a minimum. The overwhelming 
measure of his defeat must have rankled in the latter's 
mind, for a day or two later seeing the famous Stroud 
exponent gazing admiringly at a passing Carnival 
procession, the victim approached him cautiously from 
the rear and with all his strength flung a handful of 
confetti in the giant s face, accompanying the discharge 
with the triumphant yell — ** Take dat Smit of 
Strood r' 

When I first went to Monte Carlo, the tourna- 
ment was held on a couple of sand courts somewhat 
cramped for room and encroached upon by the spec- 
tators, but admirably situated within a pebble's throw 
of the Casino doors. Indeed, so conveniently placed 
was the arena that gamblers on their way to and 
from the rooms would drop in at the tennis to enjoy 
an hour of sunshine and meditation ; and If their call 
was made on the return journey and Fate, as was so 
often the case, had dealt unkindly with them in the 
Temple of Chance, it did not require a divining-rod to 
discover the absence of precious metal on their persons. 



302 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

Similarly, if a punter had been lucky enough to bring 
off a coup of any dimensions he rarely succeeded in 
checking his chuckles ; more or less accurate reports 
of his triumph would rapidly spread over the ground, 
sometimes to the detriment of efficient umpiring. So 
contiguous were the tables to the courts in those days 
that it was no uncommon event for a competitor to 
stroll into the spider's web between his matches, 
though the excursion might necessitate a rapid change 
of garments. I need hardly add that the success or 
failure attending this mild flutter was calculated to 
exercise more than a casual influence over his sub- 
sequent play. On one occasion a certain player, 
notoriously unlucky at both ball games (he was about 
as wild on court as he was in the Casino), turned up 
after lunch to play a tie in a condition of mind that 
evidently indicated the loss of his last louis. But the 
full extent of his impoverishment was never realized 
until he went into court and hit every ball in the first 
four games clean out of the ground, finally retiring in 
a fit of abject misery when he had projected a short 
lob into the tir de pigeon lying below the terrace. 
Mention of the shooting-gallery reminds me that a 
special event was reserved for those expert marksmen 
who forgather at Monte Carlo at this season for the 
Grand Prix and other prizes. These gentlemen — all 
well known sportsmen and some of them the finest 
shots in the world — rather fancied themselves in the 
handling of the inoffensive racket. The keenest 
rivalry prevailed, and I am not sure that a few rather 
bulky books were not incidentally compiled. The 
main feature of the tournament, however, was the 
cosmopolitan character of both the gallery and the 



ROUND THE RIVIERA COURTS 303 

competitive lists, the courts serving as a kind of chapel 
of ease for the Casino, where ladies of hereditary and 
commercial wealth would come to exhibit their jewels 
and their dresses, often bringing with them a gold- 
netted bourse and hanging it carelessly on the arm 
of a chair, and where male denizens of all nationalities 
would come to be temporarily diverted. I remember 
once playing a single before the rather perfunctory 
gaze of such celebrities as Plerpont Morgan, Cornelius 
Vanderbllt, Kubelik, Santos Dumont, Chevalier, and 
at least half a dozen star actresses, and of thinking at 
the time what fun it would be to disturb an American 
millionaire's hat with a wayward service. On the 
same night I think I saw Mr. Vanderbllt toying at 
roulette with five-franc pieces ! 

Now that the courts at Monte Carlo have been 
transferred down to the Condamine, a sumptuous 
hotel having been erected on the old site, there may 
not be quite the same dclat about the proceedings ; 
but the surface is excellent and the space available 
for play, though yielding a somewhat treacherous 
background, nearly three times as large. Certainly 
the Casino authorities have not been slow to recognize 
that lawn tennis is an indispensable side-show for 
their society patrons, besides being in ever-increasing 
demand as a medium for physical exercise. The 
value of the prizes awarded at the annual tournament 
is probably as high as at any other meeting in the 
world, ranging from ;^i2 for the first prize in the open 
singles (in addition to the chance of winning a ;^I20 
challenge cup outright) to £2 for third prizes in 
second-class handicap events. In all something like 
;^200 is expended in prizes. Though the new courts 



304 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

are a measurable distance from the fashionable hotels, 
they are well served by trams, and if the ''gallery" 
is not quite so cosmopolitan as it was of yore, it is 
certainly quite as large and perhaps more Inclined to 
appreciate the subtleties of first-class lawn tennis. I 
must not forget to mention that Tom Burke is in- 
stalled here as professional, and spends most of his 
time and gathers in a little of the money not deposited 
on the green cloth by instructing pupils of all ages. 
Burke has had an experience in the art of coaching 
second to none, and though by reason of this very 
fact his own first-class standard may have slightly 
deteriorated — youth must be served — I warrant there 
are not many tennis wrinkles that this genial master 
has not picked up. It was usual every season for 
Burke to play Tom Fleming, a son of " old Tom," 
a home-and-home match at Monte Carlo and Cannes, 
where the latter Is stationed. Many a strenuous 
tussle, generally running into five sets, have these pro- 
fessionals waged. But I must confess that the 
mechanical consistency of their ground strokes and 
their lack of finesse at short range would never impel 
me to undertake a long journey to see them battle. 

And now a final word about one or two remain- 
ing Riviera courts. It was never my good fortune 
to play at San Remo, though I have visited this 
beautiful Italian resort and can well believe that 
the open tournament which is held there about the 
middle of February — a prelude to the more important 
meetings that are to follow — combines a delightful 
environment with a not too exacting programme. 
Of Mentone and its tournament I have very pleasant 
recollections, tempered only by memories of the 



ROUND THE RIVIERA COURTS 305 

rather tedious journey involved if one is staying 
at Nice. I shall never forget once boarding a 
Paris rapide at Nice on a terribly hot morning and 
finding myself more dead than alive at Mentone. 
I had been forced to spend more than an hour 
packed standing in a corridor into which no breath 
of fresh air could have penetrated since the train 
left the Gare de Lyon fifteen hours ago. We were 
detained at Monte Carlo for an abnormally long 
time — I remember vainly trying to break a window 
— and the referee's face had deep furrows in it as 
he resented my tardiness and bustled me into court. 
I scarcely knew whether I stood on my head or 
my feet when I began to serve, but I do know I 
was badly beaten by a man against whom I thought 
I had a fair chance. 

The Mentone Club, no views so grand as those 
seen from its courts, has been in existence now 
some seven or eight years and owed its inception 
and rise primarily to Mr. R. de Bourbel, who is 
still its president, to Dr. D. W. Samways, Mr. 
Stewart B. Binny, honorary secretary, and Mr. 
A. E. Madge, who has managed every open tour- 
nament. There are now three excellent sand courts 
and four croquet lawns, and a membership which 
beginning with 92 has now risen to over 400. The 
club stands in a different category to any other on 
the Riviera in that it is now the owner of its own 
grounds. These extend to nearly 11,000 square 
metres and embrace a fully - equipped and most 
comfortable pavilion at which, let me add, they 
have learnt the rare art in these parts of brewing 
good tea. As a spacious boulevard now passes 
20 



306 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

within a hundred yards of the club down to the sea 
and villas — hotels and blocks of flats are erected 
in the immediate vicinity, though not near enough 
to obscure the Alpes-Maritimes — the committee did 
a good stroke of business when after some trouble 
they secured the freehold for a moderate sum. 

But then they are keen and enterprising lovers 
of the racket on the Riviera ! 



n 



APPENDIX 

V. 

LAWS OF THE GAME 
THE SINGLE-HANDED GAME -^L^ I 

1. For the single-handed game, the Court is 27 feet in width and 
78 feet in length. It is divided across the middle by a net, the ends of 
which are attached to the tops of two posts, which stand 3 feet outside the 
Court on each side. The height of the net is 3 feet 6 inches at the posts, 
and 3 feet at the centre. At each end of the Court, parallel with the net, 
and at a distance of 39 feet from it, are drawn the Base-lines, the 
extremities of which are connected by the Side-lines. Half-way between 
the side-lines, and parallel with them, is drawn the Half -court-line, 
dividing the space on each side of the net into two equal parts, called 
the Right and Left Courts. On each side of the net, at a distance of 
21 feet from it, and parallel with it,'are drawn the Service-lines. The 
marking of the part of the Half-court-line between the Service-liiies 
and the Base-lines may be omitted, with the exception of a small 
portion at the centre of each Base-line, as indicated in the plans 
appended to these Laws. 

2. The balls shall not be less than 2J inches, nor more than 2^^ inches 
in diameter ; and not less than i^ oz., nor more than 2 oz., in weight. 

3. In matches where Umpires are appointed, their decision shall 
be final ; but where a Referee is appointed, an appeal shall lie to him 
from the decision of an Umpire on a question of law, and in all such 
cases the decision of the Referee shall be final. 

4. The choice of sides and the right to be Server or Striker-out 
during the first games shall be decided by toss; provided that, if the 
winner of the toss choose the right to be Server or Striker-out, the 
other player shall have the choice of sides, and vice versd ; and provided 
that the winner of the toss may, if he prefer it, require the other player 
to make the first choice. 

5. The players shall stand on opposite sides of the net ; the player 
who first delivers the ball shall be called the Server, the other the 
Striker-out. 

307 



308 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

6. At the end of the first game the Striker-out shall become Server, 
and the Server shall become Striker-out ; and so on alternately in the 
subsequent games of the set. 

7. The Server shall serve with both feet behind {i.e., farther from 
the net than) the base-line, and within the limits of the imaginary 
continuation of the centre-service and the side-lines. It is not a fault 
if one only of the Server's feet do not touch the ground at the moment 
at which the service is delivered. He shall place both feet on the 
ground immediately before serving, and shall not take a running nor a 
walking start. He shall deliver the service from the right and left 
Courts alternately, beginning from the right in each of his service 
games, even though odds be given or owed. 

8. The ball served must drop within the service-line, half-court- 
line, and side-line of the Court which is diagonally opposite to that 
from which it was served, or upon any such line. 

9. It is 2^ fault if the service be delivered from the wrong Court, or 
if the Server do not stand as directed in Law 7, or if the ball served 
drop in the net or beyond the service-line, or if it drop out of Court or 
in the wrong Court. If the Server, in attempting to serve, miss the 
ball altogether, it does not count a fault ; but if the ball be touched, no 
matter how slightly, by the racket, a service is thereby delivered, and 
the laws governing the service at once apply. 

10. A fault may not be taken. 

11. After a fault, the Server shall serve again from the same Court 
from which he served that fault, unless it was a fault because served 
from the wrong Court. 

12. A fault may not be claimed after the next service has been 
delivered. 

13. The service may not be volleyed, i.e., taken before it touches 
the ground, even though the ball be clearly outside the Service Court. 

14. The Server shall not serve until the Striker-out is ready. If 
the latter attempt to return the service, but fail, he loses the stroke. If, 
however, the Striker-out signify that he is not ready after the service 
has been delivered, but before the ball touch the ground, he may not 
claim a fault because the ball ultimately drops outside the Service Court. 

15. A ball is in-play from the moment at which it is delivered in 
service (unless a fault) until it has been volleyed by the Striker-out in 
his first stroke, or has dropped in the net or out of Court, or has touched 
either of the players or anything that he wears or carries, except his 
racket in the act of striking, or has been struck by either of the players 
with his racket more than once consecutively, or has been volleyed 
before it has passed over the net, or has failed to pass over the net 
before its first bound (except as provided in Law 17), or has touched 
the ground twice consecutively on either side of the net, though the 
second time may be out of Court. 



APPENDIX 309 

^ 16. It is a /^^ if the ball served touch the net, provided the service 
be otherwise good ; or if a service or fault be delivered when the 
Striker-out is not ready. In case a player is obstructed by any 
accident not within his control, the ball shall be considered a let, but 
where a permanent fixture of the Court is the cause of the accident, the 
point shall be counted. The benches and chairs placed around the 
Court and their occupants, and the Umpire and Linesmen shall be con- 
sidered permanent fixtures. If, however, a ball in play strike a 
permanent fixture of the Court (other than the net or posts) before it 
touches the ground, the point is lost ; if after it has touched the ground, 
the point shall be counted. In case of a let, the service or stroke counts 
for nothing, and the server shall serve again. A let does not annul a 
previous fault. 

17. It is a good return — 

(a) If a ball touch the net or post, provided that it passes 
over either and drops into the Court ; 

(d) If a ball, served or returned, drop into the proper Court 

and screw or be blown back over the net, and the player 
whose turn it is to strike reach over the net and play the 
ball, provided that neither he nor any part of his clothes 
or racket touch the net, and that the stroke be otherwise 
good ; 

(c) If a ball be returned outside the post, either above or below 
the level of the top of the net, even though it touch the 
post, provided that it drop into the proper Court ; 

(^ If a player's racket pass over the net after he has returned 
the ball, provided the ball pass over the net before being 
played and be properly returned ; 

(e) If a player succeed in returning a ball, served or in play, 

which strikes a ball lying in the Court. 

18. The Server wins a stroke if the Striker-out volley the service, or 
fail to return the service or the ball in-play (except in the case of a let), 
or return the service or ball in-play so that it drop outside any of the 
lines which bound his opponent's Court, or otherwise lose a stroke, as 
provided by Law 20. 

19. The Striker-out wins a stroke if the Server serve two consecutive 
faults, or fail to return the ball in-play (except in the case of a let), or 
return the ball in-play so that it drop outside any of the lines which 
bound his opponent's Court, or otherwise lose a stroke, as provided by 
Law 30. 

20. Either player loses a stroke if the ball in-play touch him or 
anything that he wears or carries, except his racket in the act of striking, 
or if he volley the ball (unless he thereby makes a good return) no 
matter whether he is standing within the precincts of the court or outside 
them ; or if he touch or strike the ball in-play with his racket more than 



3IO THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

once consecutively ; or if he or his racket (in his hand or otherwise) 
touch the net or any of its supports while the ball is in-play ; or if he 
volley the ball before it lias passed the net. 

21. On either player winning his first stroke, the score is called 15 
for that player ; on either player winning his second stroke, the score is 
called 30 for that player ; on either player winning his third stroke, the 
score is called 40 for that player ; and the fourth stroke won by either 
player is scored game for that player ; except as below : — 

If both players have won three strokes, the score is called deuce ; 
and the next stroke won by either player is scored advantage for 
that player. If the same player win the next stroke, he wins the 
game ; if he lose the next stroke, the score is again called deuce ; 
and so on until either player win the two strokes immediately 
following the score at deuce, when the game is scored for that 
player. 

22. The player who first wins six games wins a set ; except as 
below : — 

If both players win five games, the score is called games-all ; and 
the next game won by either player is scored advantage-game 
for that player. If the same player win the next game, he wins 
the set ; if he lose the next game, the score is again called games- 
all ; and so on until either player win the two games immediately 
following the score of games-all, when he wins the set. 

Note. — Players may agree not to play advantage-sets, but to decide 
the set by one game after arriving at the score of games-all. 

23. The players shall change sides at the end of the first, third, and 
every subsequent alternate game of each set, and at^the end of each set, 
unless the number of games in each set be even. It shall, however, be 
open to the players by mutual consent and notification to the Umpire 
before the opening of the second game of the match to change sides 
instead at the end of every set, until the odd and concluding set, in 
which they shall change sides at the end of the first, third, and every 
subsequent alternate game of such set. 

24. When a series of sets is played, the player who was Server in 
the last game of one set, shall be Striker-out in the first game of the 
next. 

ODDS 

25. Odds are received in each group of six games, in the first place, 
in the earliest possible even games ; that is to say, a receiver of one- 
sixth receives a stroke in the second game of each group of six ; a 
receiver of two-sixths, in the second and fourth games ; and a receiver 
of three-sixths, in the second, fourth, and sixth games. 

When the even games are exhausted, odds are then received in the 
earliest possible odd games ; that is to say, a receiver of four-sixths 



APPENDIX 



311 



receives his strokes, over and above a receiver of three-sixths, in the 
first game of each group of six ; and a receiver of five-sixths, in the first 
and third games. 

The positions in which strokes are received are shown in the 
following table : 





1st 
Game. 


2nd 
Game. 


3rd 
Game. 


4th 
Game. 


5th 
Game. 


6th 
Game. 


iofis 














lofis 








15 






fofis 








15 




IS 


iofis 


15 






15 




IS 


fofis 


15 




IS 


IS 




IS 



Example. — A player receiving four-sixths of fifteen receives nothing 
in the third and fifth games, and fifteen in the first, second, fourth, and 
sixth games of a set. 

Note. — The table is not carried beyond the sixth game, as in the 
next and every succeeding six games the odds recur in the same 
positions. 

The above odds may be given in augmentation of other received 
odds. 

Fifteen is one stroke given at the beginning of every game of a set. 

Thirty is two strokes given at the beginning of every game of a set. 

Forty is three strokes given at the beginning of every game of 
a set. 

26. Odds are owed in each group of six games, in the first place, in 
the latest possible odd games ; that is to say, an ower of one-sixth owes 
a stroke in the fifth game of each group of six ; an ower of two-sixths, 
in the fifth, and third games ; and an ower of three-sixths, in the fifth, 
third, and first games. 

When the odd games are exhausted, odds are then owed in the 
latest possible even games ; that is to say, an ower of four-sixths owes 
his strokes, over and above an ower of three-sixths, in the sixth game of 
each group of six ; and an ower of five-sixths, in the sixth and fourth 
games. 



312 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

The position in which strokes are owed are shown in the following 
table : 





1st 
Game. 


2nd 
Game. 


3rd 
Game. 


4th 
Game. 


5th 
Game. 


6th 

Game. 


iofi5 










IS 




|ofi5 






IS 




IS 




fofi5 


IS 




IS 
IS 

IS 




IS 




|ofi5 


IS 






IS 


IS 


fofi5 


IS 




IS 


IS 


IS 



Example. — A player owing two-sixths of fifteen would owe fifteen 
in the third and fifth games, and nothing in the first, second, fourth, and 
sixth games. 

Note. — The table is not carried beyond the sixth game, as in the 
next and every succeeding six games the odds recur in the same 
positions. 

The above odds may be owed in augmentation of other owed odds. 

Fifteen is one stroke owed at the beginning of every game of a set. 

Thirty is two strokes owed at the beginning of every game of a set. 

Forty is three strokes owed at the beginning of every game of a set. 



THE THREE-HANDED AND FOUR-HANDED GAMES 

27. The above laws shall apply to the three-handed and four-handed 
games, except as below. 

28. For the three-handed and four-handed games, the Court is 36 feet 
in width. Within the side-lines, at a distance of 4J feet from them, and 
parallel with them, are drawn the service-side-lines. In other respects 
the Court is similar to that which is described in Law i. 

29. In the three-handed game, the single player shall serve in every 
alternate game. 

30. In the four-handed game, the pair who have the right to serve 
in the first game may decide which partner shall do so, and the opposing 
pair may decide similarly for the second game. The partner of the 
player who served in the first game shall serve in the third ; and the 



APPENDIX 3 1 3 

partner of the player who served in the second game shall serve in the 
fourth, and so on in the same order in all the subsequent games of a 
set. 

31. The players shall take the service alternately throughout each 
game ; no player shall receive or return a service delivered to his 
partner ; and the order of service and of striking-out, once arranged, 
shall not be altered, nor shall the Striker-out change Courts to receive 
the service before the end of the set. 

32. The ball served must drop vi^ithin the service-line, half-court-line, 
and service-side-line, of the Court, which is diagonally opposite to that 
from which it was served, or upon any such line. 

S^. It is a /aul^ if the ball do not drop as provided in Law 32, or if 
it touch the Server's partner, or anything that he wears or carries. If, 
however, the ball in service strike either the striker-out or his partner 
the server wins the stroke. 

34. If a player serve out of his turn, the Umpire, as soon as the 
mistake is discovered by himself or by one of the players, shall direct 
the player to serve who ought to have served ; but all strokes scored, 
and any fault served before such discovery, shall be reckoned. If a 
game shall have been completed before such discovery, then the service 
in the next alternate game shall be delivered by the partner of the 
player who served out of his turn j and so on in regular rotation. 



HOW TO MARK OUT A COURT 



In marking out a Court the most essential point is that it should be 
accurately squared. This may best be done as follows : — 

Fix two points, A and B, 27 feet apart. These are the extremities of 
the net line of your Court. Fasten the end of a lawn tennis tape 

A 27" B 

-7. 




C D 

measure at A, and hold it at the measurement 39 feet. Then fix another 
tape measure on point B, and hold it at the 47 feet 5 inches mark. Hold 
both measures firmly in the left hand, with the 39 feet and the 47 feet 5 
inches marks coinciding. Then step back until the tapes are taut, taking 
care that they do not slip in the left hand. This will determine point 
" C." Reverse the tapes and perform the same operation on the other 
side. You have point " D." Then A, B, C, D are the corners of one- 
half of a single Court. Measure similarly on the other side of A and B, 
which will give the outside corners of the other half. The measurements 

and marking of a double Court can be seen from the plan given opposite. 

314 



36 Feet 



ikh 









ISifezt 



I 



s 



s 



■s 
oj 

s 



ISiFezt 



4iFf 



INCEPTION OF THE DAVIS CUP 

Official negotiations in connexion with an international match 
between England and America appear to have been opened up by the 
receipt of a letter from Dr. Dwight, president of the United States 
National Lawn Tennis Association, by Mr. Herbert Chipp in the 
summer of 1897. This letter was read at a Council Meeting of the 
British Lawn Tennis Association on June 9 of the same year, when the 
following Resolution was adopted : — 

That it is desirable in the interests of lawn tennis that a match 

be arranged between the United Kingdom and the United States 

under Association auspices. 

Mr. W. H. Collins, then Secretary of the L.T.A., accordingly placed 
himself in communication with Dr. Dwight, who replied as follows : — 

{Letter from Dr. Dwight to Mr. W. H. Collins) 

"Woods Hall, 

Mass., June 21st, 1897 

" Dear Sir, — Your letter of June loth just received. I am some- 
what at a loss to know how to answer it. I wrote to Chipp as an old 
friend, who was probably in a position to know that players of the first 
rank would be likely to come over to a few of our tournaments if some 
allowance for expenses was made. 

" Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to have the British 
L.T.A. send over two, three or possibly four, players for an inter- 
national match and to play in certain tournaments, especially the 
Championships. Next year we might in return send our players to 
England under similar conditions. 

" It seemed to me, when I wrote before, that the time was so late 
that the formal correspondence between the two Associations could 
hardly take place. What we should like would be to have (say) three 
players come over in time to play for the Eastern Doubles Champion- 
ship and incidentally the Singles at Longwood (Boston), July 26 ; at 
Hoboken, August 2, in an invitation tournament where the best players 
of each country could play an international match if it can be arranged ; 
and at Newport, August 17, in the Singles Championship. And should 
an English pair win the Eastern Doubles at Longwood, it would be 
called upon to play the winners of the Western Doubles tournament, the 

winners of that match playing the Doubles Champions of last year. 

316 



APPENDIX 317 

"Time is therefore of great importance to us. I therefore ask 
officially your assistance and that of your Council in bringing about 
some such arrangement, and I beg to assure you of my readiness to 
enter into any scheme by which alternate international matches may be 
arranged between the two Associations later. 

" The U.S.N.L.T.A. will pay ^40 for each of these men for steamship 
passages and £10 for railway fares (making ;^5o apiece) provided that 
they compete in the above-named tournaments or in others that might 
be substituted for them should any unforeseen accident arise. 

" I own I have always had great doubts of the propriety of paying 
expenses of players, but to the extent named we are ready to go. 

" May I beg you to bring the matter to a point as soon as possible, 
as your men should sail July 17th. Please telegraph me 'D wight, 
Somerset Club, Boston,' after your meeting on July ist, at my expense. 

" We are very anxious that your players should come this year. I 
have tried to make myself clear as to points of importance to us, and I 
trust you will see your way to arranging the matter. — Believe me, with 
much respect, Yours truly, 

"James Dwight, 

'' Pres. U.S.N.L.T. Association 

The above letter was duly considered at the Council Meeting on 
July I, when it was decided on various grounds — chiefly, I beHeve, 
financial — not to send an official team to America that season.^ 

The next step was taken at a Council Meeting held on November 3, 
1897, at which Mr. Collins reported a proposal that had been made 
for the visit of an American team to England, and it was considered 
desirable that arrangements should be made for their reception and a 
fund raised, not exceeding ^160, for the purpose of meeting the expense. 
A Committee of Management ^ was accordingly appointed, which six 
weeks later recommended to the Council that the international match 
between England and America should follow the Championships at 
Wimbledon. But matters fell through unexpectedly. W. A. Larned 
wrote from America, in April 1898, that while the arrangements made 
suited their views, neither himself nor R. D. Wrenn would be able to 
come that year, and he was afraid America could not raise a repre- 
sentative team. 

The matter remained in abeyance until March 7, 1900, when a 
letter was read at a Council Meeting from Dr. Dwight to Mr. G. R. 
Mewburn, then, as now, Hon. Secretary of the L.T.A. I quote the 
letter as I did the other, because I believe that many readers will 

1 A .British team consisting of H. S. Mahony, Dr. W. V. Eaves and H. A. 
Nisbet proceeded to America unofficially in 1897. 

2 Consisting of Hon. R. P. Bowes Lyon, H. W. W. Wilberforce, W. H. Collins, 
H. S. Mahony and H. A. Nisbet. 



3i8 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

be interested to follow the steps which led to the inception of the 
Davis Cup. 

{Letter from Dr. Dwight to Mr. G. R. Mewburn) 
" 22$, Beacon Street, 

"Boston, i6ihjan. 1900 

" Dear Sir, — I beg to call your attention, as Secretary of the L.T.A., 
to an experiment which we are making that will, I hope, increase the 
interest in lawn tennis. One of our players here has offered us a Gup, 
to be a sort of International Challenge Cup. I enclose the conditions ^ in 
a rough form. I trust that we shall both take a deep interest in them 
for many years to come. 

" I am very anxious that some of your better players should make us 
a visit this summer, and I hope that, should they come, your Association 
will see its way to challenge for the Cup. You can easily understand 
that we thought it necessary to require the Governing Association of a 
country to make the (Challenge to prevent a series of stray challenges 
from players good and bad who might be coming to spend a month 
here. In yachting, the expense prevents the possibility of too much 
competition for the right to challenge. In lawn tennis it would be 
different. 

" I hope, as I said before, that the scheme will prove a success. It 
might do a great deal for the game here, and possibly even with you it 
might be a help. In any case I trust you will do what you can to give 
us a lead in the matter. 

" Please accept my sincere sympathy and good wishes in your 
present troubles ! ^ I have eaten your salt too often not to feel very 
strongly for the anxiety that you all must feel. — With every wish for 
better times. Believe me, Very truly Yours, 

"James Dwight, 

''Fres. U.S.N.L.T. Assoc. 

Thus was the gauntlet thrown down and the Davis Cup inaugurated. 
The Council of the L.T.A. unanimously decided that the "British 
Isles " should send a challenge, and a committee was formed to draw 
up regulations,^ and submit them to Dr. Dwight and the U.S.N. L.T.A. 
for approval. 

1 See p. 319. 2 A reference to the Boer War, then proceeding. 

3 Since amended. See p. 320. 



ORIGINAL CONDITIONS OF THE DAVIS CUP 

{Submitted by Dr. Dwight^ President of the United States N.L.T.A.^ to 
the Secretary of the Lawn Tennis Association^ idth January 1900) 

Cup to be given to the Committee of the U.S.N.L.T.A. under the 
following conditions, which can be changed by a two-third vote of the 
Committee of the Governing Association of the country where the Cup 
is held, with the consent of the donor and upon his death, then and 
thereafter with the consent of the U.S.N.L.T.A. Challenge for the Cup 
may be refused if not received before ist May of each year by the 
Secretary of the Governing Association of the country where the Cup is 
held. 

A challenge must be sent by the Secretary of the Governing 
Association of the country challenging, who must give proof, if necessary, 
that the challengers are citizens of the said country, are members of 
some club belonging to the said Association and are amateurs in good 
standing. 

In the event of two challenges the Committee of the Governing 
Association of the challenged country shall have the right to decide 
which to accept. 

Matches to consist of four single matches between two players of 
each country and one double match ; double teams not necessarily 
comprised of the same players as the singles. 

All matches to be the best of five sets ('vantage). The country 
winning three of five matches to hold the Cup. 

Laws governing the championship of the country where the Cup is 
held to govern the Cup matches. Composition of teams need not be 
made known till one fortnight before the matches. 

If at any time five years shall elapse without a challenge, the Cup is 
to be returned to the donor. 

Agreement to be signed by the Association of the country winning 
the Cup to abide by conditions or return the Cup to the U.S.L.T. 
Association. 



319 



REGULATIONS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL 
LAWN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP 

1. The Competition shall be called "The International Lawn Tennis 
Championship," and shall be open to any Nation which has a recognized 
Lawn Tennis Association or Corresponding Organisation ; and, for the 
purposes of these Regulations, Australia with New Zealand, the British 
Isles, British South Africa, Canada, India, and the United States of 
America shall, amongst others, be regarded as separate Nations. 

2. The Nation for the time-being holding the International Lawn 
Tennis Championship shall hereinafter be termed "The Champion 
Nation." 

3. The Competition shall take place in accordance with the following 
Regulations, and, except in so far as may be agreed upon by the 
competing Nations for their own tie, with the Laws and Regulations of 
the game for the time being sanctioned by the Champion Nation. 

4. The management of the Competition shall be entrusted to a 
Committee, hereafter termed " The Committee of Management," which 
shall be appointed annually by the Lawn Tennis Association or 
Corresponding Organisation of the Champion Nation. 

5. The Committee of Management shall make all arrangements for 
the preliminary Tie or Ties (if any) of the Competition where such 
preliminary Tie or Ties are to be played in the Country of the Champion 
Nation, and also for the Challenge Tie, and its decision in respect of all 
such arrangements shall be final. The Committee of Management shall 
also have power to depute to others, in any preliminary Tie or Ties, the 
making of all or any of such arrangements as may be deemed necessary. 

6. Any Nation wishing to compete shall give notice to the Secretary 
of the Lawn Tennis ^Association or Corresponding Organisation of the 
Champion Nation, so that it shall reach him not later than the first 
Monday in March of the year in which the Competition is to take place. 
Should more than one Nation challenge, they shall compete among 
themselves for the right to play the Champion Nation in the Challenge 
Tie. The Draw, at which each challenging Nation may be represented, 
shall be made by the Committee of Management on the day following 
the first Monday in March and particulars shall be notified to the 
respective Secretaries for the time being of the Lawn Tennis Associa- 
tions or Corresponding Organisations of the several competing Nations, 



APPENDIX 321 

with an intimation of the latest date by which the Tie or Ties shall be 
concluded. Failure to conclude a Tie by the date fixed by the Com- 
mittee of Management shall render both Sides liable to be scratched, 
unless in the opinion of the Committee of Management the weather, or 
other unavoidable hindrance, shall have made completion impossible. 
Competing Nations shall arrange among themselves for the playing of 
their respective Ties upon a ground or grounds, and upon a date or 
dates convenient to those concerned ; but, in the event of an agreement 
not being arrived at, the preliminary Tie or Ties shall be played in the 
Country of the Champion Nation upon a ground or grounds, and upon 
a date or dates, to be fixed upon by the Committee of Management. 

7. When gate-money shall be taken, one half of the profit shall 
belong to the visiting Nation ; or, in the case of a Tie being played on 
neutral ground, one-third each to the visiting Nations, and the remaining 
fraction of profit in each case shall go to the Nation in whose Country 
the Tie shall be played. 

8. The Challenge Tie shall be played in the Country of the Champion 
Nation at a date and upon a ground to be agreed upon by common 
consent. In the event of an agreement not being arrived at, the fixing 
of the date and ground shall be submitted to Arbitration. 

9. A player shall be qualified to represent a Nation if he shall have 
been born in that Nation, or shall have resided therein for at least two 
years immediately preceding a Tie, provided always that he be a 
bond fide Amateur ; but no one shall be entitled to play for more than 
one Nation in this Competition during the same year. During the time 
that a player may be qualifying to play for a Nation under the residential 
qualification, he may play for the Nation for which he shall have been 
last previously qualified. 

10. The Lawn Tennis Association or Corresponding Organisation of 
each of the Nations concerned shall appoint a Captain of its side. In 
default of such appointment a side shall choose its own Captain. 

11. For each Tie a Referee, from whose decision there shall be no 
appeal, shall be appointed by common consent of the Captains of the 
competing Sides. He shall have power to appoint Umpires. He shall 
decide any point of law which an Umpire may profess himself unable to 
decide, or which may be referred to him on appeal from the decision of 
an Umpire by the players. He shall decide, if he be called upon to 
decide by the Captain of either Side, whether or not a Match or Matches 
shall be stopped owing to the state of the courts, the state of the weather, 
darkness, or other unavoidable hindrance. 

12. {a) Each competing Nation shall, twenty-one days before the date 
fixed for the commencement of a Tie, nominate to the Committee of 
Management not more than four players, without specifying who shall 
play in Singles and Doubles. Different players, however, may be 
nominated by a Nation for different Ties. 

21 



322 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 

{b) Each Captain shall, twenty-four hours before the time fixed for 
the commencement of play in each Contest, give notice of the com- 
position of his Team to the Executive Committee, and his Team shall 
be selected from the four players previously nominated for the Tie. 
Such selection by the Captain, however, shall be regarded as solely for 
the convenience of the Executive Committee, and may be varied by him 
before the commencement of play. 

{c) For the Second Round of the Singles Contest in any Tie the 
Referee may sanction the substitution of another of the players 
nominated by a nation for that Tie in the place of any player, who, in 
the opinion of the Referee, is j incapacitated by illness, accident, or 
other unavoidable hindrance ; provided that such substitute shall not 
be the player who has already competed in the Singles Contest. 

13. The time of cessation of play shall be fixed before the com- 
mencement of each day's play by the Captains of the opposing Sides, or 
by the Referee if they shall disagree. It shall be the duty of the 
Referee to stop play when this time arrives ; provided, nevertheless, that 
he may extend the time with the consent of the Captains of the opposing 
Sides. A player shall not be called upon to play more than one Match a 
day, except with the unanimous consent of the Captains of the opposing 
Sides and the majority of the Executive Committee. 

14. Each Tie shall be decided by the combined results of Singles 
and Doubles, and the Side which shall win the majority of Matches shall 
be the winner of a Tie. 

15. In the Singles, each Team shall, subject to Regulation 12, Clause 
{c\ consist of two players, who shall play each against each of the 
opposing Team the best of five advantage sets. The order of play and 
courts shall be decided by lot. In the Doubles, each Team shall consist 
of two players, who shall play against the opposing Team the best of 
five advantage sets. 

16. Unless otherwise arranged by the unanimous consent of the 
Captains of the opposing Sides and the majority of the Executive 
Committee, the Doubles shall take place between the two rounds of the 
Singles Contest. If, however, a player be chosen for both the Singles 
and Doubles Contests, and if, by a change in the above arrangements, 
he be called upon to play his two Singles' Matches on consecutive days, 
then there shall be an interval of one day between the second and the 
third day's play. Provided, nevertheless, that if there be an interval 
between the first and second day's play, either from postponement, 
arrangement, or the interval of a Sunday, there shall not be an interval 
between the second and third day's play. 

17. If any player be absent when called upon to play by the Referee, 
the opposing Side shall be entitled to three love sets. 

18. Any competing Nation whose Lawn Tennis Association or 
Corresponding Organisation, or whose Representatives shall fail to 



APPENDIX 323 

conform to the above Regulations, may be disqualified by the Com- 
mittee of Management in respect of the Competition for the year 
wherein such failure shall occur. 

19. Winners of a preliminary Tie shall notify the result without delay 
to the Committee of Management, by telegram, which shall be confirmed 
by letter. 

20. For purposes of correspondence and the giving of notices 
required by these regulations the Secretary for the time being of the 
Lawn Tennis Association or Corresponding Organisation of the 
Champion Nation shall be regarded as representing the Committee of 
Management. 

21. The above Regulations shall be binding upon the Nations 
concerned, and shall not be altered except with the consent of two- 
thirds of the Associations or Corresponding Organisations whose 
Nations shall have from time to time competed and who shall record 
their votes. 

Note. — In the above Regulations, one Nation playing against 
another is regarded as a "Tie"; Singles and Doubles are 
regarded as separate " Contests " ; and the best of five advantage 
sets is regarded as a "Match." The players in Singles and 
Doubles are regarded as separate " Teams " ; and the players in 
the combined contests as a " Side." 



INDEX 



Adelaide, 42 

Aigburth, 225 

Alfonso, King, 50 

All England Club, traditions of, 3, 
223 ; Prince of Wales President of, 
4 ; croquet at, 5 ; inception of, 5 ; 
suggested sites for, 5 ; deficit at, 
6 ; first lawn tennis courts at, 6 ; 
changes of title, 7, 22 ; as legislators, 
8, 12, 291 ; relations with L.T.A., 
4, 8, 10, 23 ; as autocrat, 9 ; asphalt 
court at, 17; annals of, 18; 
flourishing condition of, 22 ; dwin- 
dling profits at, 26 ; Archdale 
Palmer's regime at, 26 ; plan of 
championships at, 176; Davis Cup 
matches at, 265, 270, 273, 277, 281. 
See also Championships 

All England Plate, 26 

Allen, C. G., 236 

— E. R., 75, 81, 89, 91, 236 
Aliens, the, 152, 236, 299 

America, lawm tennis in, 39, 239 ; 
career of expert in, 40; Inter- 
scholastic Association of, 40; stand- 
ard of play in, 41, 59, 24; women- 
players of, 41 ; grip of players in, 59 ; 
lobbing in, 123, 140 ; doubles in, 
133 ; training methods in, 157, 267 ; 
covered courts in, 215 ; Davis Cup 
matches in, 239-261 ; conditions in, 
249 ; championship of, 255, 256 ; 
Dohertys in, 247, 256 ; Davis Cup 
teams from, 267, 274, 281 

— Cup, 238 

American service, difficulties of, 27, 
256 ; in Australia, 42 ; angle of break 
of, 103, 112; first introduction into 
England, 106 ; terminology of, 106 ; 
principles of, 107 ; shape of ball in, 
114; method of playing, 115; 
difficulties in learning, 116 ; in Davis 
Cup matches, 244, 254, 256, 272, 
283 

Asphalt courts, 17, 213 



Auckland, N.Z., 43 

Australasia and Davis Cup, 266, 
269, 275, 281, 285 

Australia, lawn tennis in, 41 ; Lawn 
Tennis Association of, 41 ; Inter- 
state matches in, 42 ; courts in, 42 ; 
American service in, 42 ; University 
zeal in, 42 ; and Davis Cup, 266 

Austria, lawn tennis in, 48 ; standard 
of play in, 48 ; tournaments in, 48 ; 
the game in the smaller towns of, 49 ; 
A. F. Wilding in, 49 ; private courts 
in, 50 ; Davis Cup team from, 268 

Auteuil Club, Paris, 50, 213, 263 

Ayme, P., 264 

Ayres, F. H., 17 

Backgrounds, 175, 206, 215, 290 
Backhand drive, 6'], 83 

— smash, 90 

— volley, 94, 138 

Baddeley, W., 26, 29, 31, 36, 54, 58, 

126, 157, 227 
Baddeleys, the, 182, 232, 234 
Baden-Baden, 47 
Bainbridge, A. E., 230 
Ball-boys, 131, 163, 169, 170, 179 
Balls, bound with white cloth, 6, 16; 

inside seam of, 17 ; supply at 

tournaments, 163, 178 ; in America, 

243, 249, 250; made of worsted, 

291 ; at Nice, 298 
Barlow, H. S., 29, 32, 129, 234 
Barrett, H. Roper, 84, 243, 280, 283 
Baseball, 98 

Basto, William Pinto, 50 
Batthyany Strattmann, Prince, 49 
Bay Ridge, 249, 255 
Beau Site courts, 290 
Beau Site Hotel, 292 
Beckenham, 223 
Behr, K., 243, 282 
Belgium, progress in, 263 ; challenge 

for Davis Cup by, 263 ; v. France at 

Wimbledon, 264 



325 



326 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 



Berkeley, Humphrey, 27 

Berlin, 47 

Binny, S. B., 305 

Bird, H. W. Stonehewer, 299 

Birth of the game, i 

Bishop of London, 40 

Bisque, the, 188 

Black, E. D., 242, 244 

Body- weight, use of, 73, 77, loi, 1 15 

Borman, P. de, 82, 264 

Boston, 243, 248 

Boucher, J. M., 75, 235 

Boulogne, 50 

Bourbel, R. de, 305 

Break, see Service, Swerving, and 

American Service 
Brighton, 185, 237 
Brisbane, 42 
Broel-Plater, Count, 48 
Brookes, N. E., 27, 34, 36, 42, 55, 60, 

%Z, 93, 124, 225, 241, 267, 269, 282 
Brussels, 263 
Burges brothers, 228 
Burke, Tom, 304 
Burrow, F. R., 164 
Bute, Marquis of, 235 
Buxton, 178,230, 235 

Cafe Royal, 265 

Cambridge, Duke of, 291 

Canada, lawn tennis in, 45 

Cannes, 206, 287, 289, 294 

Cape Colony, 44 

Caridia, G. A., 96 

Carlos, the late King, 50 

Carlsbad, 49 

Cascaes, Sporting Club, 50 

Casdagli, X. E., 225 

Casino, Monte Carlo, 301, 303 

" Cavendish," 7, 188 

Chambers, Mrs. Lambert, 36, 59 

Champagne, 157 

Championship, vicissitudes at, 4, 25 ; 
first, 7, II ; second, 12 ; question of 
adjourning, 13; entries at, 13; 
Renshaws at, 13, 18, 20, 25 ; 
spectators at, 20, 25, 36; Renshaw 
V. Lawford for, 20 ; advertising 
charges at, 22 ; erection of grand- 
stand for, 22 ; umpiring at, 12, 28 ; 
successful factors of, 25 ; Pim v. 
Baddeley for, 26 ; decline in profits 
at, 26 ; revival of interest in, 26 ; 
improvements at, 28 ; winner of All- 
Comers and, 28, 34 ; lost by one 
stroke, 31 ; Dohertys at, 32; record 
year at, 33 ; Brookes v. H. L. 



Doherty for, 34 ; cosmopolitan 
character of, 36 ; conditions at, 36 ; 
ground plan of, 176 ; Ward and 
Davis at, 246 ; H. L. Doherty's 
resignation of, 279 
Championship, AH England Junior, 234 

— American, 253, 255 

— of Austria, 48 

— Australasian, 42 

— Covered Court, 213, 264 

— Doubles, 15, 23, 35, 246 

— German, 46 

— International, 320 

— Irish, 232 

— Ladies', 9, 13, 23, 35 

— Mixed Doubles, 35, 226 

— of New Zealand, 43 

— of Portugal, 51 

— Scottish, 230 

— South African, 44 

— Swedish, 57 

— Welsh, 234 
Charlton S. E., 225 
Chateau d'Oex, 53 
Chaytor, D. G., 36 
Chaytors, the, 232 
Chevalier, A., 303 

Chipp, Herbert, 19, 27, 36, 316 
Chiswick Park, 223 
Chop service, 104 
Christchurch, N. Z., 43 
Cintra, 51 

Climate, effects of, 150, 291 
Clothier, W. J., 267, 282 
Codman, A., 243 
Colchester, 236 
Collins, Kreigh, 274 

— W. H., 190, 247, 250, 257, 316 
Colonies, progress in, 34, 41, 266 
Combination in doubles, 134, 141 
Committees, duties of, 43, 162, 172, 

228 
Continent, growth of the game on, 38, 

45. 53, 263 
Control of the ball, 79 
Copenhagen, 52 
Corder, F. H., 230 
County matches, 225, 233 
Courtenay, Colonel, 232 
Courts, evolution of, 3, 6, 7 

— asphalt, 17, 42 

— grass, at tournaments, 172 ; mate- 
rials required for single, 174 ; canvas 
round, 175 ; in private gardens, 205 ; 
turfing, 207 ; cost of turfing, 207 ; 
draining, 207 ; marking out, 314 ; 
sowing seeds on, 207 ; top-dressing. 



INDEX 



327 



209; mowing, 210; neglect of, 
210; weeds on, 210; watering, 212; 
renovating, 212; sheep on, 212; 
"well idea," 227; plans of, 315 
Courts covered, 213; see also Covered 
Courts 

— sand, 213, 290 

— in America, 243, 260 

Covered courts, 213 ; at Queen's Club, 
213; in Sweden, 51, 217; in Paris, 
213 ; in Lyons, 213 ; plans of, 213 ; 
first, 213; championships, 213; 
construction of, 215 ; background 
for, 215 ; lighting, 217 ; spectators 
in, 217 ; cost of, 218 

Craig, H. N., 233 

Crescent Athletic Club, New York, 

253» 274 
Cricket and lawn tennis, 79, 96, 98, 

no, 173 

Croquet at All England Club, 5, 22 
Cross-volleying, 89, 91, 95, 137, 142, 

145 
Crown Prince's Club, Stockholm, 51, 

217 
Crystal Palace, 223 
Czech Club, Prague, 48 

Dabbs, Dr., 147 
Dalshields, Paul, 267, 270, 272 
Dancing and lawn tennis, 74, 158, 292 
Davis Cup, donor of, 239 ; negotia- 
tions concerning, 316; inception of, 
318; original conditions of, 319; 
regiilations of, 259, 320 ; and 
America Cup, 239 ; Continental 
challenges and, 241, 263 ; Colonies 
and, 241, 276, 281 ; first British 
challenge for, 241 ; conditions of 
play in, 252, 272 ; matches, 242, 
243, 245, 249 ; Roper Barrett on, 
242 ; England's first defeat in, 244 ; 
second challenge for, 246 ; Dohertys 
and Pim play for, 247 ; failure of 
second English team, 251 ; Pirn's 
selection for, 251 ; popular excitement 
over, 252, 260, 285 ; great double at 
New York, 253 ; England's third 
challenge for, 255 ; Dohertys capture, 
, 256 ; Mr. Collins and, 257 ; American 
sportsmanship and, 261 ; in England, 
262 ; Belgium and France challenge 
for, 263, 268 ; banquets, 265 ; 
invaders repulsed, 266 ; Australasia 
challenge for, 266, 276 ; N. E. 
Brookes and, 267, 283 ; America's 
first challenging team, 267 ; Presi- 



dent Roosevelt and, 267 ; matches 
at Queen's Club, 268 ; America 
beats Australia in, 269 ; Wright v. 
Brookes in, 269, 284 ; America 
repulsed in, 270, 278, 281 ; Ward v, 
H. L. DoKerty in, 271 ; S. H. Smith 
in, 272 ; Dohertys v. Ward and 
Wright in, 273 ; America re- 
challenge for, 274; Wright's acci- 
dent, 275 ; matches at Newport, 
Mon., 275; A. F. Wilding and, 
276, 284 ; challenge round 1906, 
277 ; Dohertys unable to defend, 
280 ; won by Australasia, 281 ; 
England's brave defence of, 281 ; 
impressions of, 281 
Davis, D wight F., 106, 239, 244, 246, 

250, 253 
Decugis, M., 61, 78, 264, 268 
Demeanour on court, 30, 130, 15 1, 

156, 222, 261, 264 
Devonshire Park, 171, 237 
Dieppe, 50 

Diet, 146, 152, 158, 299 
Dinard, 50 

Dod, Miss L., 24, 227 
Dodgson, C. L., 183 
Doherty, H. L., 31, 34, 35, 36, "J^, 
78, %'i, 90, 127, 138, 151, 248, 251, 
256, 261, 266, 271, 278, 293, 300 
— R. F., 26, 34, 92, 94, 192, 248, 

252, r,57, 278, 299 
Dohertys, the, at Wimbledon, 26, 32 ; 
grip of, 54; at lobbing, 140; on 
drinking during matches, 157 ; and 
prizes, 182; in Dublin, 232; at 
Scarborough, 234 ; v. Ward and 
Davis at Wimbledon, 247 ; first visit 
to America, 247 ; at Longwood, 248 ; 
on American conditions, 249 ; at 
Bay Ridge, New York, 250 ; tactics 
of, 253 ; employing American 
methods, 254 ; at Newport, 254 ; 
win American Doubles Championship, 
255 ; eulogy of, 256 ; second visit to 
America, 256 ; capture Davis Cup at 
Longwood, 256 ; defend Davis Cup 
at Wimbledon, 266, 270, 273 ; 
narrow escape of, 273, 278 ; defeat 
of, 38, 278, 300 ; retirement of, 279 ; 
strength of, 284 ; and King Edward, 
291 
Doubles, serving in, 117, 119, 136; 
subordination of, 132 ; American 
development of, 133; spectacular 
features of, 133, 160; popularity at 
clubs, 134; low standard of, 134; 



328 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 



combination in, 134, 135, 141 ; 
volleying in, 136; return of service 
in, 139; lobbing in, 140; handi- 
capping in, 194 

Doubles, mixed, 142 

— ladies', 166 

Draining courts, 207 

Draw, seeding the, 182 

Dressing rooms, 177 

Driffield, L. T., no 

Drinking, 155 ; during matches, 157 

Drive, Irish, 81, 232 

Driving, forehand, 66 ; backhand, 67, 
83 ; see also strokes 

Drop-volley, 93 

Dublin, 13, 33, 179, 232 

Duckworth, Joseph, 225 

Dunedin, N.Z., 43 

Dunlop, A. W., 267 

Dwight, Dr. J., 58, 179, 243, 316 

Eastbourne, 171, 237 

East Coast tournaments, 236 

East Croydon, 223 

Eastern doubles, 248, 316 

Eaves, W. V., 29, 31, 85, 93, 138, 
246, 254, 267, 281, 317 

Ebermann, J,, 50 

Edgbaston, 227 

Edward, King, at Marienbad, 48 ; at 
Cannes, 291 ; Prince Batthyany 
and, 49 ; Dohertys and, 291 

Elbow, effect of keeping down, 67 

Erskine, W., 14 

Etretat, 50 

Evelegh, B. C, 179, 191, 226, 230, 237 

Falmouth, 237 

Fassit, F. L., 298 

Faults, causes for, 99 ; hints to 

overcome, 102 
Feet, position of, in driving, 74, 78 ; 

in serving, 99, 115 ; clearing the, 138 
Felixstowe, 236 
Fencing, 151 
Field, 7, 188 
Field tennis, 2 
Finger-work, importance of, 56, 62, 

.87,.ii5 
Fitzwilliam Square, 232 
— week, 232 
Fleming, Tom, 304 
Folkestone, 237 
Follow-through, 70, 76, 84, 96 
Food, see Diet 
Foot-faulting, 122, 187, 230 
Forehand driving, 66 



France, lawn tennis in, 2, 50, 263 ; 

Davis Cup teams from, 263, 268 
Franzenbad, 49 
Froitzheim, O., 46 
Fry, C. B., 152 

German Crown Princess, 292 

Germany, growth of game in, 45 ; 
number of courts in, 45 ; champion- 
ships of, 46 ; national independence 
of, 46 ; tournaments in, 46 

Gipsy tournament, 223 

Golf and lawn tennis, 25, 47, 62, 68, 
70, T], 92, III, 121, 197, 201, 293 

Good, T. D., 233 

Gordon Bennett motor course, 47 

Gore, A. W., 31, 67, T], 80, 89, 124, 
157, 192, 242, 245, 280 

— Spencer, 11, 12, 15 
Gothenburg, 52 
Grand Prix, 302 
Grant, L. J., 230 

— Wiley, 230 

Grass courts, see Courts 

Grip, standard, 54 ; defects of, 55, 83 ; 

forehand, 56 ; backhand, 57, 83 ; 

changes of, 58 ; lack of uniformity in 

champions', 59 ; for lifting drive, 82 ; 

for service, 99 

— of Dohertys, 55, 57 ; of N. E. 
Brookes, 55, 70 ; of W. Baddeley, 
58 ; of Miss Sutton, 59 ; of S. H. 
Smith, 59 ; of Mrs. Lambert 
Chambers, 59 ; of M. Decugis, 61 ; 
of H. S. Mahony, 61 ; of American 
players, 61 

Gustav, King, 51, 52 

Hadow, P. F., 12, 15 
Half-shots, 83 

— volley, 96, 138 
Hamburg, 45 

— Lawn Tennis Guild, 46 
Hamilton, W. J., 32, 81, 232 
Hand, position for grip, 56 
Handicap singles, 127 ; tactics for 

back-marker in, 127 ; receiver of 
odds in, 127 ; volleying in, 128 ; 
winning the toss in, 128 
Handicapping, by cord across court, 
7 ; first-class players and, 30 ; 
history and principles of, 188 ; bisque 
system of, 188 ; quarter system of, 
189; sixths system of, 190; methods 
of leading experts, 191 ; H. S. 
Scrivener on, 192 ; in doubles, 194, 
200 ; loo-up method, 197, 202 ; on 



INDEX 



329 



the Continent, 198 ; C. A. Voigt on, 
199; golf system of, 201 ; difficulties 
of, 202 ; other systems of, 202, 293 ; 
competitors and, 221 ; relating to, 
310 

Handles, size of, 62 

Harrison, A. J., 229 

Hartley, Canon J. T., 14, 15 

Hayden, Charles, 248 

Head, bending the, 84, 87 

Heathcote, C. G., 7, 11, 199 

— J. M., 16 
Hide, Charles, 228 

Hillyard, G. W., 9, 24, 31, 33, 81, 
185, 235, 300 

— Mrs., 9, 25, 226, 235 
Hirst, G. H., no 
Hobart, C, 82 

Holmes, Ellwood, 229, 230 

Homburg, 46, 169, 199, 265 

Hook-volley, 92 

Hotels, 158 ; on Riviera, 287, 292 

Hull, 233 

Hyde Park Club, 213 

Hythe, 237 

He de Puteaux, 50 

Ilkley, 233 

India, lawn tennis in, 45 

International matches, 316, 320; see 

also Davis Cup 
Inter-scholastic Association of America, 

40 
Inter-State matches in Australia, 42 

— 'Varsity matches, 9 ; in America, 
41 ; in Australia, 42 

Irish drive, 81, 232 

Jiu-jitsu, 62 

Jones, Henry, 7, 188 

King, Lionel, 237 
Kormend, 50 
Kubelik, Plerr, 303 

Lacrosse and lawn tennis, 45 

Ladies' Championship, 9, 23, 35 

Lamb, H. J., 44 

La Napoule, 293 

Lamed, W. A., 246, 250, 252, 256, 
267, 282, 317 

Lawford, H. F., 13, 15, 20, 22, 129, 
182, 232, 291 

Lawn Tennis Association, relations 
with All England Club, 4, 8, 10, 
23 ; transfer of rules and regulations 
to, 8 ; formation of, 8 ; functions of, 



161 ; and seeding the draw, 182; and 
Davis Cup, 246, 252, 316 
Lawn Tennis Association of Austral- 
asia, 41 

— of New Zealand, 43 

— of South Africa, 44 

— of Germany, 45 
— ■ of Sweden, 52 

— of Switzerland, 52 

— of United States, 263, 316 

Laws, confusion of, 6 ; first editions 

of, 8; observance of, 182 
Leamington, 235 
Leeds, 233 
Leicester, 235 
Lemaire, W., 264 
Les Avants, 53 
Le Touquet, 50 
"Lewis Carroll," 182 
Lewis, E. W., 29, 33, 36 
Leyman, 243 
Lifting-drive, 79, 81, in 
Linesmen, 173, 187, 203 
Lisbon, 50 

Little, R. D., 273, 274, 278 
Liverpool, 226, 275 
Lob, the, 91, 123, 140, 144 

— volley, 93, 138 

London Covered Court Championship, 
264 

— tournaments, 223 
Long, Right Hon. W., 236 

— tennis, 2 
Longue Pauine, La^ 2 

Longwood, U.S.A., 243, 248, 256, 317 

Lubbock, E., 15 

Lucerne, 53 

Luiz, King, of Portugal, 50 *■ 

Lyon, Hon. R. P. Bowes, 317 

Lyons, 213 

Madge, A. E., 305 

Madrid, 50 

Mahony, H. S., 29, 32, 61, 90, 185, 

225, 227, 247, 258, 317 
Maida Vale Club, 213 
Manchester, 224 
Mansfield, F. S., 245 
Marienbad, 48 
Marshall, Julian, 7, 9 
Martin, Miss, 227 
Massy, A., 293 
Match play, 118, 155 
M.C.C., Tennis Committee of, 6; 

confirmation of rules by, 7 ; severance 

from All England Club, 8 
M'Gregor, A. W., 230 



330 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 



Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand J Duchess 

Anastasie of, 292 
Meden, C. A. von der, 46 
Meers, E. G., 24, 27, 122, 124 
Melbourne, 36, 42 
Mentone, 289, 305 
Mewburn, G. R., 317 
Meyer, Miss C, 235 
Michael of Russia, Grand Duke, 291, 

293 

Mixed doubles, 142 ; evolution of, 
143 ; tactics in, 144 ; lady's share in, 
143 ; serving in, 144 

Moffat, 230 

— Hydro, 231 
Monckton, H. H., 228 
Monte Carlo, 287, 289, 301, 305 
Montreal, 45 

Montreux, 53 

Morganstern, A. G., 295, 297 
Mowing, 210 ; machines, 211 
Murray, J. O'Hara, 47 
Muscles, saving the, 62 ; training the, 
150 

Nahant, U.S.A., 248 
Napier, N.Z., 43 
Nervousness, causes of, 73 
Net, changes in, 3, 6, 8, 12 ; passing 
racket over, 13 ; at tournaments, 174 

— cord strokes, 31 
Newcastle, 228 
Newport, Mon,, 234, 275 

— U.S.A., 40, 246, 248, 254, 256, 276 
New South Wales, 42 

New Zealand, lawn tennis in, 41, 43 ; 
courts in, 43 ; public school 
championships in, 43 ; clubs in, 43 ; 
and Davis Cup, 266, 276 

Niagara Falls, 242 

Nice, 287, 289 

— Club, 294 

Nisbet, H. A., 246, 317 
Northern tournament, 224 
Northumberland County Tournament, 

228 
Nostitz, Count, 50 

Odds, see Handicapping 
Old Trafford, 225 
Order of play, 168, 296 
Ordinary twist service, 104 

— American service, 106 
Orme, G. L., 213, 217 
Osborn, Colonel, 30 
Ostend, 263 

Oxford, Doubles Championship at, 23 



Palmer, Archdale, 26 

Paret, J. Parmly, 59, 72 

Paris, 50 

Parke, J. C, 233 

Parker, H. A., 82 

Partners at tournaments, 135 

Pasadena, 36 

Pastime^ lo 

Pavilions, 227, 296 

Payn, F. W., 92, 230 

Pelotta, 50 

Permanent base, need for, 126 

Perth, 42 

Pflaum, C, 233 

Pilsen, 49 

Pim, J., 26, 29, 30, 36, 54, 93, 152, 

227, 232, 247, 251, 259 
Pisek, 49 
Placing, variety in, 117 ; importance of, 

121, 125 
Poidevin, L. O. S., 272 
Port Elizabeth, 44 
Porter, John, 152 
Portugal, lawn tennis in, 50 ; Royalty 

and the game in, 51 ; championships 

of, 51 ; Royal courts in, 51 
Prague, 48, 50, 276 
Presbrey, Palmer, 243 
Prince of Wales at Wimbledon, 4 
Prince's Club, 5, 15 
Prize meetings, see Tournaments 
Prizes, 181, 183, 295, 303 
Professionalism, 42, 304 
Programmes, tournament, 167, 296 
Pseudonyms, 229 

Quarter system of handicapping, 189 
Queen's Club, 213, 223, 268, 279 

Racket, evolution of, 16, 92 ; size of, 
16 ; hold of, 54 ; handles of, 62 ; 
swing of, 69 ; impact of ball with, 
69; path of, 71 

— scoring, 6 

Ragatz, 53 

Railway travelling, 164, 167, 220, 223, 
277, 293, 305 

Rand, courts on the, 44 

Redhill, 223 

Referee, duties of, 135, 163; value of, 
163 ; worries of, 165 ; tent of, 165 ; 
methods employed by, 166 ; as 
handicapper, 191 

Regulations for International Champion- 
ship, 320 

Renshaw, Ernest, 19, 24, 29, 36, 129, 
179, 202, 226, 234, 293 



INDEX 



331 



Renshaw, William, 15, 18, 19, 21, 24, 32 
Renshaws, the, 13, 16, 19, 23, 25, 32, 

54, 182, 232, 291 
Reverse twist service, 105 

— American service, 106 
Rice, M. Alvarado, 297 
Richardson, J. T., 15 

— L. A., 44 
Ringhoffer, Baron, 50 

Riseley, F. L., 33, 35, 105, 120, 226, 

265, 273, 278, 280, 299 
Ritchie, M.J. G., 81, 300 
Riviera, courts on, 213, 290; condi- 
tions, 286, 297 ; hotels, 287 ; climate, 
290 ; Renshaws on, 291 ; Royalties 
on, 291 ; golf on, 293 ; tournament 
management, 295, 297 ; prizes, 295, 
303 ; memorable matches, 299 ; 
Dohertys on, 299 ; gambling, 301 ; 
millionaires, 303 ; professionals, 
304 ; railways to, 305 
Rohan, Prince Raoul de, 50 
Rolling, 210, 211, 290 
Roosevelt, President, 39, 267 
Royalty and lawn tennis, 4, 39 
Rules of the game, 307 
Run-back, 173, 174, 205, 213 
Running in on the service, 90, 95, 1 1 7, 

122, 137 
Russia, lawn tennis in, 2 



"St. Leger," 14 

St. Moritz, 53 

Sand courts, 206, 213, 290 

San Remo, 304 

San Sebastian, 50 

Santos Dumont, A. , 303 

Sam ways. Dr. D. W., 305 

Saro, 52 

Saxmundham, 236 

Scarborough, 234 

Schoolboys and the game, 40, 43, 52, 
234 

Schulenburg, Countess, 299 

"Scissors,'' 89 

Scrivener, H. S., 9, 21, 23, 167, 192, 
236 

Scottish championships, 230 

Service, advantage of, 12 ; evolution 
of, 27 ; variety in, 27, 98, 116; grip 
for, 56, 99 ; use of body-weight in, 
73, loi ; running in on, 90, 117, 
122 ; position of feet in, 99 ; throwing 
up the ball in, 99 ; second, 102 ; in 
doubles, 117, 119, 137; tactics in, 
117; return of, 121, 139, 144; 



partner's position for, 136; lobbing 
as reply to, 140 ; in mixed doubles, 

143 
Service, American, 27, 42, 103, 109, 
115,243,256 

— chop, 104 

— ordinary twist, 104 

— reverse American, 106 

— underhand twist, 105 
Shanklin, 237 

Sheep on courts, 212 

Sheffield, 225, 233 

Short, A., 228 

Shoulder work, effect on strokes of, 

66, 71, 77, 84 
Simond, G. M., 198 
" Sixths" system of handicapping, 190, 

196, 200 
Slazenger & Sons, 175 
Sleep, 158 

Smash, the, 89, 91, 94, 142 
Smith, Howard, 228 

— S. H., 33, 35, 67, 74, 77, 89, 124, 
226, 234, 270, 272, 278, 280, 299, 
301 

Soil, 208, 209 

Somerset Club, Boston, 243 

South Africa, lawn tennis in, 44 ; 
standard of play in, 44 ; champion- 
ships of, 44 ; courts in, 44 ; Union 
of, 44 

— Coast Tournaments, 237 

— of France, see Riviera 
Spain, lawn tennis in, 50, 292 
Spectators at tournaments, 20, 25, 34, 

36, 47, 164, 184, 217 
Sphairisfiki, 3 ; diagram of court for, 

2 
Spin, variation in, 79^ 244 
Stands at tournaments, 176, 217 
Steel points, 222 
Sterry, Mrs., 227 
Stevens, R., 242 
Stockholm, covered courts in, 51, 217 J 

English players at, 52 
Stone, Dr., 27 
Stop-half-volley, 97 

— netting, 172, 174 

— shots, 85 

— volley, 93 
Stratford-on-Avon, 228 
Striker-out, position of, 120 
Strokes, learning the, 64 ; evolution of, 

66 ; effect of shoulder, arm, and wrist 
on, 66, 81, 85 ; body- work and 
timing in, 69, 73 ; hitting the ball at 
top of bound, 72 ; measuring, 75 ; 



332 THE COMPLETE LAWN TENNIS PLAYER 



keeping the racket *'open," yS; 
getting good length, 85 

Strokes off the ground, 15, 18, 56 

Sun, effects of, 119, 255, 290 

Surbiton, 223 

Sutton, Miss May, 24, 35, 41, 82, 225, 234 

Sutton, R. N., 230 

Sweden, lawn tennis in, 51, 157; 
covered courts in, 51, 217 ; champion- 
ships of, 51 ; facilities to schoolboys 
in, 52; King of, 51, 52 

Swerving, principles of, 107 ; in Davis 
Cup matches, 244 

Swing-back, 69, 73, 75, 116 

Switzerland, lawn tennis in, 52 

Sydney, 42 



Tabors, the, 14, 15 

Tactics, in serving, 117; against a 
volleyer, 124 ; against a base-liner, 
124; for one base-liner against 
another, 125; in general, 129; in 
doubles, 136, 139; in mixed doubles, 
143; in refereeing, 170; in Davis 
Cup matches, 253, 272 

Tapeda Club, Royal, Lisbon, 5 1 

Tasmania, 42 

Tate, T. J., 16 

Tea, 156, 170, 227 

Temperament, see Demeanotir 

Temperature, variations of, 36, 150 

Tennis Committee of M.C.C., 6 

— real, players of, at championship, 
II ; comparison of strokes with, 16 ; 
trammels of, 18 

— Cabinet, 40 

Tent, referee's, 165, 171, 176; dressing 

176 ; tea, 227 
Thorpe Satchville, 235 
Timing the stroke, 69 
Todd, Howard, 228 
Top, putting on, 81, 85, iii 

— dressing, 209, 295 
Toss, winning the, 118 
Tournaments, partners at, 135; 

veterans at, 147, 237 ; catering at, 
154 ; meals at, 154 ; drinking between 
matches at, 155, 157 ; tea at, 156, 
170, 227; adequate sleep at, 158; 
hotels at, 158 ; rest between, 159 ; 
popularity of, 160; promotion of, 
161 ; duties of committees at, 163, 

166, 169, 296; spectators at, 164, 
170, 184, 229; programmes at, 165, 

167, 229; ladies' doubles at, 166; 
reforms needed at, 167, 297 ; 



competitors at, 167, 170; order of 
play at, 169, 296; fitting out, 171, 
178; manufacturers and, 174, 178; 
courts at, 173 ; Wimbledon manage- 
ment of, 175 ; balls at, 178, 298 ; 
fallacies about, 180; prizes at, 181, 
295 ; first-class players at, 181 ; 
" seeding the draw " at, 182; umpires 
at, 184 ; handicapping at, 192 ; 
pleasures of, 219 ; motoring to, 220 ; 
hostesses at, 221 ; competitors at, 
221, 223, 297; worries at, 222; 
ladies and, 224 ; clear Sunday at, 
228 ; business side of, 229 ; 
pseudonyms at, 229 ; chances of 
success at, 238 

Training, 28, 134, 146, 153, 158, 272 

Transvaal, 44 

Turf, laying, 207, 208 ; cost of, 207 ; 
nursery, 212 

Turkish baths, 151 

Turnier Club, Berlin, 47 

Umpires, at first championship, 
12 ; at Wimbledon, 28 ; at critical 
periods, 130; and foot-faulting, 122 ; 
lack of, 168; professional, 170; 
chairs for, 174 ; incompetent, 185 ; 
stories of, 185 ; players acting as, 186 

Underhand twist service, 105, 129 

Universality of lawn tennis, 35, 38, 
263, 289 

Universities of America,' the game at, 

41 

— of Australia, 42 

— of Sweden, 52 
United States, see America 
Upsala, 52 

Vaile, P. A., no 

Vanderbilt, Cornelius, 303 

Ventilation, 158 

Veterans, 15, 134, 147, 237 

Victoria, 42, 267 

Vienna, clubs at, 48 

Voigt, C. A., 169, 199 

Volleying, development of, 15, 27, 86; 
grip for, 56; close-quarter, 60; 
learning, 87 ; finger-work in, 87 ; 
high and low, 88 ; cross, 89, 142 ; 
overhead, 91, 142 ; hook, 92 ; stop 
and drop, 93 ; lob, 93, 138 ; tactics 
in, 94; in doubles, 94, 136; defence 
against, 95 ; half, 96 ; base-line play 
against, 124; American, 124; for- 
bidden ground for, 126 ; in handicap 
matches, 128 ; in mixed doubles, 143 



INDEX 



333 



Walsh, J. H., S, 7 

Ward, Holcombe, 36, 97, 115, 138, 

243, 244, 246, 250, 254, 267, 271 
Ware, L. E., 243, 250, 255 
Washington, 39 
Watering, 212 
Watford, 223 
Watson, brothers, 234 

— Miss Maud, 23 

— Miles, 230 

Webb, Captain, 237, 243 
Weeds, 210 
Wellington, N.Z., 43 
Welsh championships, 234 
Wesseley, C. Von., 48, 268 
Whipple, Dr. S. F. H., 258 
White, A. W., 230 

— House court, 40 

Whitman, M. D., 243, 246, 252, 254 
Wiesbaden, 47 



Wilberforce, H. W., 134, 157, 189, 

200, 290, 317 
Wilding, A. F., 35, 49, 81, 220, 225, 

241, 266, 276, 282 

- F., 276 
Williams, E. L., 27 

Wimbledon, special trains to, 20 ; see 
Chainpionship and All England 
Club 

Wind, Influence of, 36, 119 

Wingfield, Major, 2, 6 

Woodhouse, O. E., 19 

Wrenn, brothers, 250, 256 

Wright, Beals, 138, 243, 267, 274, 
277, 284 

Yale, 285 

Yorkshire Association, 233, 234 

— County team, 233 
Youll family, 230 



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